By DAYO JOHNSON
AKURE— MANY commercial banks closed shop Wednesday following the robbery that took place in Akure, Ondo State capital on Tuesday.

Few that opened did skeletal duties for fear of the unknown while their customers were frisked before they were allowed entry.

Specifically, banks along the popular Oyemekun Road, where the bank that was raided on Tuesday is located shut their gates to customers while the workers hanged around the bank premises because of the massive damage done to it by the robbers.

Owners of the vehicles riddled with bullets in Tuesday’s operation returned to tow  them away for repairs after identification.

About 15 armed robbers invaded one of the new generation banks located along the busy Oyemekun Road on Tuesday and carted away an unspecified amount of money.

Four persons died dead during the robbery operation as a result of stray bullet that hit them at different locations as the robbers shot sporadically to scare away people.

Soldiers still kept vigil at the bank premises yesterday.

Three persons were reportedly arrested by the police in connection with the robbery.

The Police Image Maker Adeniran Aremu  said that normalcy has returned to the state and that investigation into the robbery was continuing.

Aremu said that the police were still on the trail of others that took part in the Tuesday robbery.

On the three suspects arrested, the Police Image Maker said that they were still undergoing interrogation.

PDP carpets Police, state govt

Meantime, the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Ondo State yesterday described as worrisome the spate of robberies in the state and tasked the police and the state government to rise to the occasion.

The party’s Director of Publicity, Mr. Ayo Fadaka in a statement said: “This development is indeed disturbing and equally responsible for inexplicable and avoidable deaths of citizens.”

Fadaka asked the government to rise to the occasion and adopt strategy that would lead to the reduction of violent crimes in the state.

His words, “As at the last count, about twenty successful bank robberies have been prosecuted in the state with no panacea to this ugly scourge. Even in spite of this sad development, this Government only displays its naivety and absolute lethargy to combat this scourge.”