ALL operations of banks in Ijebuland and Sagamu areas of Ogun State will be shut from today until further notice over incessant armed robbery attacks on banks in the state despite the assurance by government that measures were being put in place to ensure improved security.
Chairmen of Bankers’ Forum in Ijebuland and Sagamu, Olusegun Olusoga and Tunde Onadeko respectively, that control banks in the nine Local Government Areas of the state, said the decision to shut down was unanimously taken at an emergency meeting held on Tuesday to protest the level of insecurity in the state.
Review of security situation
At a briefing in Abeokuta, Olusoga said the meeting by the bankers was used to review the security situation in the state and lamented the alleged failure of the state government to put necessary security measures in place to tackle armed banditry.
Demand APCs
According to Olusoga, among “the security measures we are demanding are the provision of Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs) and deployment of patrol vans and policemen to protect banking institutions.”
It will be recalled that in recent times, the state has been witnessing an upsurge of robbery attacks on commercial banks in Sagamu, Ijebu-Igbo, Ago-Iwoye, Ilaro, Ewekoro and Ota among others, where several millions of Naira were carted away.
Skeletal services
Olusoga argued that the recent robbery attacks on banks had forced them to engage in skeletal services before yesterday.
He claimed that skeletal services had “eventually led to the avoidable access of armed robbers to the banking premises through bank staff private entrance. He said: “No bank in Ijebuland should render skeletal services to customers henceforth until the forum’s demands on security are fully met by the state government.
Staff should move away from the vicinity of banks’ premises till further notice. No loading of ATM, Automated Teller Machine, should be carried out by any bank. Any robbery attack arising as a result of culpability of any bank shall be viewed as connivance and collaboration with the robbers.”
Bank officials warned
Olusoga however, warned that the forum would “not defend or issue any statement to absolve any bank official who out of his carelessness allows his bank to be robbed through skeletal services rendered.”
Five APCs arrive
On the assurances by the state government that five APCs would arrive the state by Friday, he said the bankers would call off the action once the armoured vehicles were physically on ground.
Corroborating, Chairman, bankers forum in Sagamu, Tunde Onadeko, said all banks in the axis had also been directed to shut operations.
Onadeko said: “We are together in this agitation. Whatever you hear from the Ijebu Bankers’ Forum is our position.”
Meanwhile, the state chairman of the forum, Bola Onifade, said banks in Abeokuta would open for normal business and denied insinuations that the state government pressured him to back out of the action.
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