3 bankers, 8 others arrested after failed bank attack

By EVELYN USMAN
LAGOS— ELEVEN suspected members of a robbery gang were arrested by the Lagos Police Command which foiled their attempt to rob a new generation bank at Gbagada area of the state.

Five of the suspects were said to be staff of the bank. They are being detained at the Special Anti-Robery Squad, Lagos.

Police sources said one of the bank staff, a senior marketing executive, alleged  to be mastermind of the foiled robbery  attempt, connived with two internal securitymen   and two other staff  of the bank to attack the bank  Monday night, after a customer had deposited N120 million.

They were said to have invited a notorious robbery suspect, one Sadiq, who had been on the command’s wanted list.

Sadiq, it was gathered, invited six other members of his gang and planned the Monday’s attack.

During the operation, they reportedly posed as customers and stormed the bank. They were arrested by plain-cloth policemen, who, acting  on tip-off, had condoned off the entire bank premises. The suspects, during interrogation, mentioned the bank staff as their accomplices.

Preliminary investigation, according to sources at SARS,  showed that the suspects bought their arms from Lagos and Benin City, Edo State and gave them to one of the bank staff, who concealed then in some Central Processing Unit, CPU, in the bank, to avoid the metal detective machine at the entrance of the bank from giving them away.

The marketing executive, according to the confessional statement of the robbers, allegedly gave them money to procure the weapons.

According to the command boss, Mr. Umar Manko, “We have arrested 11 of the suspects including five staff of the bank. We are still investigating the matter. We shall prosecute them as soon as investigation is concluded.”