Three banks were yesterday raided in Omu-Aran, the headquarters of Irepodun local government area of Kwara state, killing three people and escaping with an unspecified amount of money.
The banks’ invasion started some minutes after six in the evening as sporadic gun shots rented the air in an operation that lasted for more than an hour.
The armed robbers, an eye witness said, 20 in number, first attacked the Police Division and the barrack then deflated the tyres of the police armoured carrier packed outside.
They were said to have thereafter invaded the banks which include First Bank, Union Bank and Ecobank all located on Aperan Way in the town using grenades and dynamite to break the door and the bank’s vault.
An accountant with Union Bank identified as Gade and a driver were felled by the armed robber’s bullets.
Also a member of a vigilante in the town identified as Dapo alias Igbin was also gunned down before the armed robbers escaped with an unspecified amount of money.
Meanwhile, youths in the town stormed the Omu-Aran Police Division as well as the area commander office to protest the armed robbery invasion.
The youths, who were hauling stones and other items at the station, were protesting the invasion of the banks with no response from the police.
A police patrol vehicle was also set ablaze by the youth while the police had to respond with tear gas to disperse the surging youths.
