By Simon Ebegbulem

BENIN—Robbers, weekend, raided a bureau de change, BDC, office at Sakpoba Road, Benin, and allegedly carted away over N12 million.

It was learned that the robbers, who dressed like men of Special Anti-Robbery Squad, SARS, trailed one of the traders, who went to the bank to withdraw money to the office.

Vanguard gathered that the robbers followed the victim to his office quietly, while people around thought they were men from the SARS, who escorted the victim to the bank.

However, there was pandemonium when the robbers started shooting sporadically into the air after they robbed the victim of about N9 million and another victim of N3 million.

The robbers, who were said to have stormed the scene in a Prado SUV, immediately ordered everybody to lie down, while they continued shooting as they left the scene.

Policemen, who came after the robbers had escaped, were booed by the angry traders and sympathisers, who castigated the policemen for failing to arrive the scene on time.

One of the traders, Alhaji Haruna, lamented that “each time these criminals come here to attack us, policemen will never come on time.

“We do not know whether the police are conniving with them to rob us. It is really sad and we have been calling the police to come. And the people came dressed like SARS members. So we do not know what is happening.”

When contacted, the police spokesman in the state, Stephen Onwuchei, said he was not in town so did not have details of the incident.