How we planned to rob our bank of N120m – bank staff
BUSINESS activities at the Gbagada branch of one of the new generation banks was going on as usual, Thursday, May 10, 2012, with customers going about their respective transactions. But the seeming serene atmosphere was punctured by a command of “stop there”!


Time was approximately 3.30 pm. And immediately, three persons were rounded up by plain clothes police detectives later discovered to be from the MOPOL 2, Keffi and Special Anti Robbery Squad, SARS, Ikeja.


The brisk action which lasted about ten minutes was later discovered to be a foiled robbery attempt, with the suspects whisked into a police waiting police van. While the staff and customers were still smarting from the shock, the policemen stormed the bank again. And this time around, demanded for  four staff of the bank, discovered to the bewilderment of all to be  members of the gang.


A staff of the bank who spoke on condition of anonymity narrated how it all happened to Crime Alert. He said: “The branch normally closes by 5pm and everyone was about wrapping up their work for the day when some policemen in mufti came in.


They allegedly went straight to Davidson Eboigbe, a Cashier, George Alabi, a Marketer, Toye Oke also a Cashier and Alex Sule, a security guard. They were all dragged out of the bank and taken away. I didn’t know where they were taken to and none could really tell what was actually going on then because you know bankers often get arrested these days for fraud.


So, I thought it was one of those deals. Soon, news of the foiled robbery operation spread and we were told  that our colleagues had contracted some robbers to steal a huge sum of money from the bank, an operation that would have turned bloody if it was successful because the robbers planned to invade the bank with dangerous weapons.”

*The suspect

Crime Alert was reliably informed that the suspects confessed during interrogation that they had planned to steal over N120m from the bank vault. It was also gathered that some of the bank staff sold themselves out by providing information that led to the arrest of their colleagues who fled from the scene on sighting the police.


Police sources said: “They all confessed their roles in the operation and said they wanted to steal N120m from the bank, which is basically the amount the bank usually leaves behind in the vault. They also agreed to strike by 5pm because by then, security at the bank would have lessened as some mobile policemen attached to the bank would  have closed for the day. But unknown to them, the police had got wind of the plot.


The Squadron Commander, Mopol 2,  Keffi, Patrick Ewejare who got information about the robbery strategically positioned his men at various points within the banking premises, waiting for the robbers to strike.  The  robbers had planned to smuggle their weapons into the bank using a computer processing unit, which the security guard involved was expected to carry into the bank hall.


Thereafter, the the robbers would walk in as genuine customers wanting to do business. But on getting inside, they would walk straight to the CPU, retrieve their weapons and then ask everyone to lie down. That same security guard who brought in the CPU was expected to lead them to where the money was.”


It was also gathered that the Police effort would have been thwarted, as a policeman attached to another bank close to that which was to be attacked approached  the MOPOL 2 commander, to find out if all was well, only to be told to man his own duty post.


Unsure of what their mission was, the policeman was said to have put a call across to the security guard at the affected bank, informing him of the police presence. But unknown to him, the security guard was an accomplice in the abortive bank robbery.


A police source said: “The robbers who were waiting for signal to strike, got the bad news and made quick efforts to leave the bank. But unfortunately, their leader, Sadiq Yinusa, was apprehended and was brought to us. On interrogation, he gave us clue on how to arrest others.


He confessed that one of the bank staff had given N50, 000 to the robbers to get two AK 47 rifles. Since the operation has been foiled, we decided to contact the other fleeing robbers and pretended as if  we had the AK 47 riffles and when they showed up, we arrested Sunday and Arnold, including Timi, who was supposed to convey the money out of the bank in his truck.


In this interview with Crime Alert, one of the bank staff, who simply gave his name as Davidson, admitted to have initiated the whole plan. He said: “To tell you the truth, I initiated the whole idea.


I was relaxing in a restaurant with my colleagues when I initiated the plan. Initially they thought it was a joke. But when they discovered that I was serious, they became interested, especially when they heard of the amount. Then, we felt there was need to invite outsiders who were robbers. I called in Toye and we deliberated on the day we would carry out the operation and the number of people required.


“Unfortunately, the day we planned to carry out the operation, Alex (the private guard) came and told us that policemen had cordoned off the bank premises. We immediately called Sadiq, Bamidele, Sunny and Arnold on the phone and told them not to come into the bank premises because policemen had surrounded the place.


I was later arrested in the office by one of the policemen and was brought to SARS. That was how we were all rounded off.


But Bamidele managed to escape and we do not know where he is.” He however, exonerated one of his colleagues whose identity he gave as Kehinde Adeshida. Although he admitted that the decision to rob the bank was sold to Kehinde, he, however, claimed he objected to it, on the ground that he would be travelling out of the country by then. Kehinde was among those arrested, as his name was mentioned during interrogation. His culpability according to Police sources would be ascertained at the end of investigation.


Asked if he regretted his action, Davidson said: “It was greed that pushed me into this. At least I was earning over N90, 000 but my salary is not up to what they pay their staff. I have spent more than five years with the bank and I have not been promoted.


I joined the bank with a National Diploma, ND, as a contract staff, but we are not being treated like staff. For instance, they give staff car loan but those of us who are not staff are not entitled to such benefits. And we do almost 90 percent of the work in the bank. I have nursed this grudge against the bank for a long time and was tempted to rob the bank in order to leave the country with my share of the loot.”


Vandalization of ATM machines


Commander, Mopol 2 Keffi, SP Patrick Ejedawe said the some hoodlums who specialize in vandalization of automated teller machines, ATM, had concluded plans to rob Guarantee Trust Bank, GTB, Ifako-Gbagada Branch at a yet to be fixed date and that the hoodlums embarked on recruiting some staff of the Branch to achieve their aim.


In a swift response, Commander Mopol 2 Keffi on Commissioner of Police approval went into action with a team of Policemen to trail and apprehend the hoodlums with the assistance of a staff of the bank who was co-opted into the deal but leaked the plan to the bank’s management.


He was later prevailed upon to serve as a role. On May 10 at about 1700hrs, one Sodiq Yinusa ‘m’ was arrested at the vicinity of the bank while waiting for the other members of his gang to attack the bank. Based on the confession of the arrested  robber, O’C SARS, SP Abba Kyari was drafted to join Commander Mopol 2 Keffi to arrest other members of the gang in their respective hideouts.


Their combined efforts lead to the arrest of one Arnold Dokpesi ‘m’, Sunday Orukpe ‘m’, Timi Bozime ‘m’, Matanmi Oladipupo ‘m’ and Adesida Kehinde ‘m’. Two locally made pistols recovered and 11 nmumbers of 99mm live ammunition were recovered from Arnold Dokpesi and Sunday Orukpe.