The long arm of the law appears to have caught up with four staff of United Bank for Africa, UBA, following a robbery attack on a bullion van in which about N25 million belonging to the bank was carted away with ease by armed robbers.
The cash management officer of a branch of the bank located between Otulu and Ubulu-Okiti, along Asaba/Benin Expressway in Delta State, Amina Oyewole, the chief security officer and two drivers are now in police net following preliminary investigation by the Delta State police command, which revealed that in a bid to cut corners, the bank officials illegally picked seven police officers from different locations, yet to be determined, and engaged them in an illegal escort for the conveyance of N25 million from its branch in Agbor to Asaba without using a serviceable and secure armored bullion van as required by law.
The bank officials were said to have earlier approached the operations department of the command for escort men but their request was turned down by the police on the grounds that the bank did not have a serviceable bullion van required for such operations.
According to Andrew Aniamaka, a deputy superintendent of police, and spokesman of the command, in the course of the attack, one of the illegal police escorts was fatally injured by the armed robbers who also emptied the N25 million into their cars – a Honda Pilot sport utility vehicle and Toyota Corolla before they escaped.
The police command, while advising banks to, as a matter of importance, avoid short cuts and comply with laid down rules in the movement of cash, also reassured members of the public that no stone will be left unturned in ensuring that the fleeing armed robbers are apprehended and brought to book. Although the police have no information on the registration number of the vehicles used for the robbery yet, it solicited for information that could lead to the arrest of the robbery gang.
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