Police slam closure of Ijebu-Ode banks over threat letter

Police in Ogun say closing banks since Tuesday for fear of armed robbery in Ijebu-Ode is mischievous, reckless and unprofessional.

It came after banks shut operations “as a proactive measure” on Tuesday in Ijebu-Ode after robbers wrote to inform them of impending robberies.

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Our correspondent further gathered that the fears of the bankers were compounded when the Armoured Personnel Carriers (APC), servicing the metropolis reportedly developed a fault.

The closure has left some residents and customers stranded.

The Spokesman of the Police Command, Abimbola Oyeyemi, on Sunday slammed the bankers for ignoring police assurances of their safety.

Oyeyemi accused the bankers of not making “the purported letter available to the police for investigation and possible apprehension of those behind it.”

“It is bad that from time to time they cry wolves, carelessly and recklessly; and in none of these numerous occasions has any robbery taken place,” he said.

The statement reads, “The Ogun state police command has noticed with dismay, the unwarranted closure of Banks and financial institutions in Ijebu ode and its environs over an alleged robbery threat.

“The command is appalled at this unprofessional behavior of bankers in that axis despite continuous assurance of their safety by the police and other security agencies.

“Their recent action can only be described as treacherous and mischievous, because they are not the only bankers we have in the state and the country in general, yet they are the ones complaining of robbery threat every now and then.

“The command has noticed that once they are bent on this mischief, they closed their minds and eyes to other security arrangements the police in conjunction with other security agencies have on ground to protect them.

“They claimed armed robbers wrote to inform them that they are coming to attack them, but they will not make the purported letter available to the police for investigation and possible apprehension of those behind it.

“It is bad that from time to time they cry wolves, carelessly and recklessly; and in none of these numerous occasions has any robbery taken place.

“The command want to believe that some of them actually want their banks to be robbed, hence these strange set of bankers expose the banks in the area to security threats by making public real and imaginary security lapses to the general public including armed robbers rather than quietly discussing them with security agencies and government.

“The command therefore wishes to warn that the bankers will surely be the first set of suspects if anything unusual in the form of bank robbery (God forbid) happens in the area, at least for them to disclose their ceaseless sources of information.

“Meanwhile, the commissioner of police, CP Edward Awolowo Ajogun, has directed a full scale investigation into this their present claim of receiving a letter from armed robbers that they are coming to attack their banks.

He added that on our own part the police were doing everything within the ambit of the law to guarantee the safety of life and property of good people of Ogun state, the banks and other