Suspected armed robbers on Monday morning attacked and robbed a bank customer of an undisclosed amount of money in the Osuntokun area of Ibadan North Local Government, Oyo State, leaving a police officer severely injured during a gun duel.
According to eyewitnesses, the victim was trailed by the assailants after making a cash withdrawal from a commercial bank before being ambushed along the Osuntokun–Secretariat Road, Agodi, around 8 a.m.
The gunmen, who reportedly drove in a separate vehicle, intercepted the victim’s grey Nissan Primera with registration number EPE 901 PS and dispossessed him of the cash at gunpoint.
An eyewitness, who pleaded anonymity, said the attackers blocked the victim’s car and fired several shots into the air to disperse bystanders before escaping with the money.
“They followed him from the bank and crossed his car around Osuntokun. They shot into the air and took the money. A police officer who was on patrol nearby tried to intervene but was shot and badly injured,” the witness said.
The daylight robbery caused panic in the area, as residents called for increased police patrols and improved surveillance around banks and major roads in Ibadan.
Confirming the incident, the Oyo State Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Adewale Osifeso, said in a statement that the command had launched a manhunt for the suspects.
“A bank depositor travelling in a metallic grey Nissan Primera with license plate number EPE 901 PS was tracked and forcibly robbed of a substantial, yet-to-be-ascertained amount of cash. Initial investigations indicate that an officer associated with the Oyo State Police Command sustained severe injuries during a confrontation that arose when his team on patrol engaged the suspects,” Osifeso stated.
He confirmed that no lives were lost, and the injured officer is currently receiving treatment at a secure medical facility.
Osifeso urged members of the public to provide useful information that could help the police apprehend the culprits, assuring that “an extensive investigation is underway and updates will be communicated as they become available.”
