A man and his wife who had gone to the police station to settle their quarrel were among victims of Thursday bank robbery attack in Offa, Kwara State.
Sources in the community told NewTelegraph last night that one of the partners had gone to the police station to lodge a report against the other, despite pleas by neighbours for them to settle the quarrel amicably at home.
Although their identities were yet to be known, the couple was said to have been among the civilian victims the robbers killed when they invaded the police station.
Their story came up against the backdrop of questions being asked on the whereabouts of detainees at the station after the robbers struck.
While some residents claimed that the robbers killed all of them and therefore increased the number of Offa bank robbery victims, state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Ajayi Okasanmi, denied such insinuations, insisting there was no one in police detention as at the time of the incident.
He said:
“There was no one in detention when the robbers struck; the only civilians they killed at the station were those who came to lodge complaint as earlier explained.”
One other victim has also been identified as Jamiu Adekunle Alawode, Head of Operations, at Stockup Microfinance Bank, beside Zenith Bank in the town. He was killed inside the bank.
Alawode was said to have been in his early 40s.
“He was a very hardworking person and honest. We are still mourning him. In fact we are still trying to pacify his wife,” Jamiu’s elder brother, a lecturer in the Department of Mass Communication, Federal Polytechnic, Offa, told our correspondent yesterday.
He said that although the deceased had worked in other places before, it was at the microfinance bank that he had begun to get settled and accomplished.
The Fidau prayers for him were said yesterday at Ijagbo.
Another victim, a female police inspector, was said to be the daughter of a retired police officer in the state.
Meanwhile, the police, yesterday disclosed that eight suspects have been arrested in connection with Offa bank robbery incident.
Moshood, who didn’t disclose the names of the suspects added that the suspects had admitted to the various criminal roles they played in the bank robbery attacks and were also assisting police investigation into the incident.
