The city of Benin in Edo State on Thursday was thrown into mourning as dare-devil armed robbers killed not fewer than ten people in a coordinated multiple attacks on banks.
The incident happened at Igarra, the headquarters of Akoko-Edo local government.
The affected banks are Unity Bank and Keystone Bank.
Before the attack the robbers also went to the police station, burnt vehicles and killed officer and some other people in the station.
Among those reportedly killed in the police station were two detainees who were said to have been arrested on Thursday morning for minor offences, one of them was reportedly arrested for incomplete vehicle particulars.
But it was reliably gathered that the armed men had first attacked the police station which is about 1.2 kilometres away from the banks, where they burnt the official vehicle of the newly posted Area Commander, apparently to demobilise the only means of neutralising their act and also killed a policeman.
Three other persons were said to have also met their untimely death near the police station from the barrels of the guns of the dare-devil armed robbers.
Four other persons were reportedly killed within the premises of the two banks, apparently in anger as it was gathered that the armed men could not get access to the vaults of the banks.
One of the youths in the community who gave his name as Ofei Obende, said they tried to resist the robbers but were overpowered by their firepower.
He, however, said that the police in the banks had exchange of gunfire with the invaders, which he said were responsible for the death of the three unidentifiable bodies, while another unknown person was said to have been caught in the cross fire.
As at the time of this report, the Police Public Relations Officer, Chidi Nwabuzor said information about the attack was still sketchy and would release more details later.
However, Elder Folorunsho Dania, the Palace Secretary to the paramount ruler of the community, Otaru of Igarra, confirmed the incident to journalists on phone.
