Lagos bank robbery: Police strategize, Mba moved

Determined to forestall further robbery attacks in Lagos State, the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Solomon Arase has embarked on strategizing the command, leading to the movement of senior police officers in Lagos.

Among the senior policemen moved is Frank Mba. Mba has been moved to Osun State. Mba, before his transfer was the Commander, ‘Area E’ FESTAC, Lagos.

The immediate transfer of policemen in the command is connected to the Tuesday bank robbery, where a mother and her two-year-old daughter were killed by bullet from the smoking guns of the bandits.

This would be the fourth time the robbers would be attacking banks in Lagos.

The robbers, numbering over 40, armed to the teeth with General Purpose Machines Guns and dynamites, blew up two banks at the 4^th Avenue area of FESTAC Lagos State. The robbers, who were in military uniforms, came through the waterways. They carted away millions of naira and also escaped through the waterways.

According to Mba, when the robbers attacked, he and his men gave them the fight of their lives, forcing them to retreat.

The transfer of policemen in the command came just days after Arase threatened to redeploy Commissioners of Police whose jurisdiction is terrorised by suspected criminals.
Arase made his intention known to top police officers consisting of Deputy Inspector-Generals of Police (DIGs), Assistant Inspector-Generals of Police (AIGs) and Commissioner of Police, (CPs), at the weekend in Abuja.

Policemen in Lagos were the first casualties of Arase’s vow.

Meanwhile, yesterday, gunshots were heard in different parts of the metropolis as operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), embarked on a Show of Force.

The SARS men were drafted into different teams, with each team having 11 policemen. They drove through different police formations in the state, shooting sporadically into the air.

A police source: “The Show of Force is to highlight the fact that we’re prepare for the robbers. It’s to show that we are on ground. Policemen have been patrolling banks and waterways since this morning. We’re ready for them!"

Yesterday, Director Navy Information, Commodore Aliyu Kabiru, reacted to subtle accusation from the police that Navy often refuses to lend helping hands in apprehending the bank robbers whenever they attacked.

Kabiru said: “The Nigerian Navy is constitutionally responsible in defending the nation's territorial integrity by sea. Thus, the Navy operates in the open seas. The Marine Police on the other hand, is charged with maintaining security in the inland waters. However, due to security challenges in some parts of the country, the Nigerian Navy has been collaborating with sister security agencies in checking criminalities in the nation. Thus, the issue of apportioning blame shouldn’t arise at all.”
The House of Representatives, yesterday, urged Arase and the authorities of other security agencies to beef up security operation in FESTAC and satellite towns in Lagos.
The House yesterday expressed concern that people are now afraid to go to banks and attend to other businesses and urged the IGP to make unit road blocks in Festac and satellite towns with police and Soldiers, since robbers now use military uniforms for robbery. 

According to the lawmakers, there should be regular patrol in FESTAC and satellite towns. They also urged Arase to make sure that the robbers were caught.