Efforts to arrest armed robbers who attacked a branch of Wema Bank in Iragbiji, Osun state were reportedly frustrated by disagreement regarding the strategy to be adopted by security operatives.
WITHIN NIGERIA had reported that two policemen were killed after armed robbers numbering about 20 on Tuesday attacked Iragbiji Divisional Police Headquarters and a branch of Wema Bank in the town.
According to PUNCH, a top security source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said a combined team of police operatives, Amotekun Corps and local hunters that went on the trail of the perpetrators, forced them to disembark from their vehicles as they ran into the bush at Ada town.
“But the inability to agree on the tactics to be adopted jeopardised the chances of the security men to arrest the perpetrators. It was suggested that canisters should be fired into the bush to weaken the perpetrators before men would enter into the bush and engage them.
“But that idea was however rejected, even though the robbers were not far off going by the sound of their gun. The security men later entered the bush but the robbers had advanced to a village called Oore where they eventually escaped,” the source said.
The Field Commandant, Osun Amotekun Corps, Comrade Amitolu Shittu, who confirmed there was a disagreement while security men went on the trail of the robbers, said that perpetrators, instead of moving towards Ibokun ran into bush in Ada and later escaped through Oore village.
Shittu said, “There was a disagreement on the tactics. The robbers were not expected to run into the bush where they did in Ada. From the sound of their gun, they were not far from us. One of the security men that went on the trail was shot dead. We did our best under the circumstances we found ourselves.”