Gunshots and dynamite explosions rent the air on Tuesday as armed robbers invaded the 4th Avenue, FESTAC Town area of Lagos State.
The robbers, who were in different military uniforms, shot sporadically into houses, as they raided the FESTAC branches of Diamond and Access banks.
According to eyewitnesses, the operation, which lasted for about one hour, went unchallenged, as frightened residents were forced to take refuge in their homes.
After the dust had settled, a 39-year-old woman, Jane Peter, and her one-year-and-two-month-old baby, Nmesoma, who were on the fourth floor of a house near the robbery scene, were discovered to have been shot dead.
PUNCH Metro observed as policemen from the FESTAC Town division and some other anti-robbery formation, patrolled the area.
Our correspondent observed that the walls of many houses had been marked by bullets, which bore deep holes into them.
A Nissan Altima was shot in the boot and the bullet went through the engine to burst a front tyre.
The rotor doors of the Diamond and Access banks, which were robbed simultaneously, were blown open with dynamite.
A worker in Access Bank said the robbery began around 8.10am.
The worker, who was injured in the incident, narrated what happened to a crowd of people, while PUNCH Metro stood by.
He said the robbers asked a riot policeman attached to the bank to join in packing the money into a car.
He said, “It was around 8.10am. The robbers were many and could not be less than 40. They came through the waters.
“They shot into the air and used dynamite to blow the rotor door open. They positioned themselves at different points.”
A resident, who was at the Diamond bank to transact a business at the time, said some of the robbers, who came into the bank, ordered them to lie down.
He said they asked for the bank manager.
He said,“They were shouting, ‘where is the bank manager? Somebody just brought in money here. Where is the money?’
“They pounced on the bank manager when he initially declined to obey them and beat him up.
“The man later took them to the strongroom where the money was. They took everything.”
Our correspondent learnt that the robbers wore different military uniforms ─ army, navy and air force. Some of them also wore police uniform.
An eyewitness said the driver of a Toyota Sequoia who was at the Diamond Bank was ordered by the robbers to go out and kickstart his car.
He said, “They said, ‘you are the owner of the Toyota Sequoia outside, go and start it’.
“They packed all the money they had taken from Diamond Bank into it and drove to Access Bank. The money they had also stolen there was taken into the vehicle.
“They then drove the car to where their speedboat was and left in the boat with the money.”
PUNCH Metro learnt that while this was on, some of the robbers were shooting sporadically to keep people away.
A motorcycle rider, who witnessed the robbery, told our correspondent that all the bank workers and some customers were taken to an eatery in a filling station, where they held them hostage.
He said, “The robbers spread themselves and blocked 4th Avenue, 23 Road, Market Road and another junction. They had machine guns positioned everywhere and they continued to detonate dynamite.”
It was gathered that among the robbers was a lady.
“She was a young lady and it was all fun to her. She would release rounds of bullets and then look everywhere and laugh hysterically. The lady was something else,” a resident said.
Another resident of the community described the robbers as “well-trained”, adding that they could be military officers.
He said, “They had planned everything. Their guns were highly sophisticated.
“A man among them was walking up and down the road and making calls. He was composed and they appeared not to be in a hurry. They were well-trained robbers.”
It was learnt that after the robbers took off in their speedboat through the Lagoon, the owner of the Toyota Sequoia went to pick it.
It was learnt that 15 minutes after the operation, some hoodlums trooped to the street before some policemen accompanied by military officers from the Ojo Cantonment arrived at the scene.
Our correspondent was told that a security worker with Diamond Bank sustained gunshot injuries in the leg and was rushed to the Shepherd Hospital, a private hospital in the area.
When PUNCH Metro entered the hospital, the receptionist said the police had instructed that only the workers of the bank and close family members could see him.
“They said all visitors must show their ID cards. If you are not a police officer, a top management officer or a family member, you cannot see him,” an official said.
At the home of the Peters, our correspondent observed that the bullet, which killed mother and daughter, came into the apartment on the fourth floor through the door.
Fresh bloodstains were still on the wall, just as our correspondent was told that the dead baby was still in the room around 3pm.
A friend of the victim, who was with her at the time of the incident, Uju, said the death was a mystery.
She said, “We were together in the room when she said she wanted to go and sleep.
“Soon, the robbers started shooting outside, and I quickly went to shut the doors. I thought it was a child’s play, until the shootings increased.
“Her baby woke up and started crying. My baby was also crying and she came out from the room to carry her baby.
“As she was about to move back into her room, the bullet hit her and the baby, and she started bleeding.”
She said she called for help, but nobody could come out because of the sporadic shootings from the robbers.
A next-door neighbour, John Irabor, said everybody was afraid because the robbers stayed for a long time, lamenting that the victim could have been saved if she got immediate medical attention.
He said, “We first took her to the general hospital, where she was rejected. Then, we took her to First Gate Hospital and we were told that she was dead.
“Her husband is a pastor in the Lord’s Chosen Ministries headquarters, and he insisted we take her to the church for prayers.
“But when we also got to the Lord’s Chosen, everybody knew it was a hopeless case. She was dead.”
The Police Public Relations Officer, Lagos State Command, DSP Joe Offor, confirmed the robbery, adding that the police engaged the robbers in a shootout.
He said they later overpowered the robbers and recovered about N27m and ammunition.
He said, “At about 8.25am, the command received information of a sporadic shooting on 4th Avenue, FESTAC Town. A joint team of policemen from Area ‘E’ and FESTAC division, promptly responded to the incident.
“On arrival, the policemen engaged the robbers, numbering over 40 in military camouflage and armed, in a fierce gun battle. The hot exchange of fire forced the robbers, who were simultaneously robbing two banks, to abandon the operation.
“The police action equally forced the robbers to abandon the sum of N27, 715, 921.70k which was later recovered by the police and transferred under armed escort to another Diamond Bank branch located on the 2nd Avenue, FESTAC, for safe keeping.
“The police action also forced the armed robbers to abandon 240 rounds of live ammunition. The robbers later retreated to the waterfront from where they fled, using speedboats.”
He said the police had intensified patrol in the area and investigations were on to apprehend the suspects.
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