Offa robbery: Banks in hurried closure

 

Many commercial banks in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, on Friday, about 1pm hurriedly closed operations for the day as a precautionary measure against robbery attacks.

One of the security men of one of the banks who pleaded anonymity told our correspondent that they got information that armed robbers may strike anytime as they did in Offa on Thursday.

He added that they were asked to close to avoid the attacks and the resultant possible loss of personnel and depositors’ money.

One of the branch managers who was yet to close told our correspondent in confidence that he was aware of the robbery scare and was tidying up to getting clearance from the bank’s head office so as to close the bank’s operation for as Thursday.

Meanwhile, the Kwara State Governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed, has commiserated with the families of those who lost their lives in an  armed robbery attack on Offa in Offa Local Government Area of the State last Thursday evening.

In a condolence message, Ahmed expressed shock at the tragic incident and prayed that Allah will grant the victims eternal rest while giving their families the strength to cope with the irreparable loss.

He urged the bereaved to take heart and regard the incident as an act of God who gives life and takes it.

The governor, in the statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Communication, Dr. Muyideen Akorede, added that he has directed the Police and other security agencies to beef up security in Offa and its environs to secure the area and prevent a reoccurrence. He assured the people of Kwara State that government is doing all in its power to secure lives and property across the state.

Meanwhile, a source said that the death toll following the armed robbery operations and attack on a Divisional Police station in Offa had risen.