Police arrest three more suspects in Edo bank robbery

Three additional suspects have been arrested over the Tuesday’s deadly armed robbery attacks at a police station and two commercial banks, which led to the death of six persons, in Igarra, Edo State.

Police Inspector General, Solomon Arase

Our correspondent gathered that two of the suspects were nabbed by the vigilance groups in a forest near Makeke‎ on Wednesday‎, in Akoko-Edo Local Government Area of the state.

It was, however, said that the local security group lost one of its members, who was killed during the incident.

NAIJA CENTER had on Thursday reported that the robbers, who came in two vehicles, had stormed the police station and killed two policemen.

Some members of the gang ‎later raided the Igarra branches of Keystone and Unity banks on Momodu Ajayi road about 5:30pm and carted away an undisclosed amount of money from the latter, after destroying the bank’s entry with improvised explosive devices.

The robbers also shot a private security man‎ and two bank customers as they tried to make their way into the bank.

They were, however, said to have been confronted by some vigilantes in the area, who engaged the gang in a gun battle, killed one and arrested another, while the rest fled into the bush.

The police had also said that a total sum N4,452,500, 11 AK47 rifles, ‎39 IEDs and other arms and ammunition were recovered from the robbers.

A leader of the vigilance group, who did not want his name mentioned, explained that members of local security outfit were mobilised from the Ojirami-Ojah axis when it was learnt that the robbers had stormed Igarra, which was the administrative headquarters of Akoko-Edo Local Government Area.

One of the suspects was said to have sustained a bullet wound in the head.

The vigilante chief also said other vigilante groups in Ososo, Makeke, Lampese and environs were contacted and directed to barricade the Ekpedo-Ekpe axis of the road with tyres, stones, logs and other obstacles, which slowed down the movement of the robbery gang.

The Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Osifo Abiodun, however, said on Thursday that the command arrested three persons, adding that police officers had been deployed to Igarra to fortify the banks and border communities in the area.

He also noted that efforts had been intensified to arrest more suspects.

Police arrest three more suspects in Edo bank robbery