By Daud Olatunji, Abeokuta
Despite the inauguration of a security trust fund by Ogun State governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, some months ago, designed to tackle the high rate of insecurity in the state, armed robbers have not only continued to unleash  terror on the people of the state, they also took their operations to the seat of power.

No fewer than six operations have been carried out in the state by robbers in recent times, the latest being the one at Babcock University, Ilishan which saw two banks being attacked.

When information filtered into Abeokuta, the state capital, that armed robbers had invaded the state governor’s office located in Oke-Mosan in broad daylight, many thought the report was fiction.

But the reality was that the robbery occurred barely four days after an exotic car belonging to a  commissioner was allegedly stolen in the governor’s office.Nemesis  caught up with the four-man robbery gang as one of them was gunned down by the police.

The robbers, according to findings, had arrived the governor’s office complex at 9:40 a.m. in a Nissan Quest marked Abuja BK 944 RSH,having trailed  a newly acquired car of a civil servant to the governor’s office. They were almost successful in stealing the civil servant’s car when the security system in the car, a Toyota Camry marked OGUN AKM 146 AA, was triggered off.  The robbers immediately jumped into their car and fled but crashed into the governor’s office gates.

*Gov Ibikunle Amosun ... Hailed police for intercepting robbers

Sunday Vanguard gathered that one of the security operatives in the governor’s office shot at the robbers as they abandoned their car and started running on foot, and  the bullet hit one of them who died instantly.

This caused pandemonium in the governor’s office.

Reacting to the incident, Amosun commended the state police command, calling the interception of the robbers as brilliant.

Ogun Police Commissioner, Nicholas Nkemdeme, described the attack on the complex as most embarrassing. The following Monday, robbers trailed an oil dealer in Abeokuta who was reportedly taking a huge sum of money to the bank.The robbers, in broad daylight, at Ita-Eko intercepted the businessman, but he reportedly  escaped  while the robbers took away his vehicle.

The police at nearby Ibara roundabout allegedly ran away when they heard shots fired by the robbers.

Another gang recently attacked the Ilaro branch of a bank in Yewa South local government area of the state and made away with  an  unspecified amount of money.

Same day, the private residence of the South West  Regional Editor of Daily Trust newspapers, Kayode Ekundayo, at Abimbola Estate, Gasline, Ijoko,  in Ado-odo/Ota local government area of the state, was attacked. The men of the underworld reportedly carted away an  undisclosed amount of money and properties.

The Ilaro incident was said to have been carried out by an eight -man gang who invaded the premises of the bank with two gas cylinders, sledge hammers, chisels among other dangerous weapons and entered the place through the back door after they had reportedly cut the security wire installed on the fence.

An eye-witness said the robbers tied the security guards in the bank and beat them to coma before embarking on the operation which reportedly  lasted for almost two hours.

They broke the security doors of the bank with the gas and used sledge hammers to break the padlock on the door that led to the banking hall. According to findings,after an unsuccessful attempt to break the vault, the robbers went for

the bank’s ATM, broke into the machine with the use of gas and made away with all the content.

24 hours after the Ilaro robbery, a gang struck in Ijebu-Imusin and Ijebu-Igbo areas of the state raiding two different banks.

In the Ijebu-Imusin  attack, the robbers stormed a mcrofinance bank  area of the state and carted away a huge amount of money. Two persons were reportedly hit by stray bullet fired by the robbers who shot sporadically to scarepeople away from the scene.

An official of the bank who confirmed the incident said: “The robbers came into our bank some minutes ago and we were all asked to lie down and face the ground.

They carted away a lot of money which I cannot say specifically how much. What I know is that we have a lot of customers that came to deposit today and most of them were caught in the scene,” she said.

In the Ijebu-Igbo incident, the gang allegedly carted away an undisclosed sum of money.

The Ogun police public relations officer, Mr. Muyiwa Adejobi, described the incidents  as unfortunate, adding that the commissioner of police, Nkemdeme, had ordered deployment of more armed mobile policemen to the affected areas.

Adejobi added that one of the vehicles used during the attack on the Ijebu Igbo bank, a Mazda Space Wagon, was recovered from the hoodlums and had been deposited at the Ijebu Igbo police station.

He said: “We are on top of the situation.  The commissioner of police has ordered that the areas be taken care of by vigilance patrols”.