First, it was Kabba, now the reign of terror has moved to other parts of Kogi State as banks in Ayetoro Gbede and Okene tasted the horrors of armed robbery.
15 people were reportedly killed in the Okene robbery incidence. The incident which involved four banks in Okene town went on smoothly without resistance from policemen.
In an account, the robbers were said to have shot indiscriminately at every direction to scare away people, sent 10 out of the 15 dead victims instantly to their early graves.
The remaining victims were said to have been involved in an accident at the Total filling station junction in the town as residents ran helter shelter in order not to be caught in the indiscriminate shooting of the robbers.
At the end of their operations, the robbers succeeded in raiding the four banks in the community without any resistance from security operatives, carting away an undisclosed huge amount of money from the banks.
Although the attacked banks are located a stone throw to the headquarters of the Okene Police Area Command, policemen on duty were said to have pulled off their uniforms and fled on sighting the robbers with sophisticated and superior weapons.
The sporadic and vibrating shooting, which residents were said to have mistaken for Boko Haram invasion, made people to hurriedly close their shops and flee their homes, according to eyewitnesses.
When contacted, the state Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Ajayi Okesanmi, confirmed the incident, but said his calls to the Area Command yielded no result as he could not reach the police officers on phone.
