A man identified as Sodirudeen Rufai has been arrested for attempting to set fire to the Guaranty Trust Bank building situated in the Oke-Ilewo Area of Abeokuta, Ogun State, on Tuesday.
PUNCH Metro gathered that the suspect claimed he decided to raze the bank after his several complaints that an unauthorised N500,000 was debited from his account fell on deaf ears.
It was further learnt that he was said to have been advised by the Area Commander, Metro, Abeokuta, that he should allow the bank to follow its procedure in unraveling the circumstances behind the deduction when he reported the matter.
However, PUNCH Metro learnt that the matter took a turn for the worse after the bank told him that he had been defrauded.
After receiving the news from the bank official who attended to him, our correspondent learnt that Rufai was said to have gone back to the bank with petrol and began to sprinkle it on the banking hall.
While the drama was unfolding, some customers scampered for safety, while others, along with the bank security staff members, wrestled Rufai to the ground before he could use the lighter in his hand.
PUNCH Metro gathered that the bank’s Chief Security Officer, Godwin James, handed the suspect to the Ibara Police Division.
Meanwhile, during interrogation, the suspect was said to have claimed that he took the action to attract the attention of the necessary authorities about what the bank did with his money.
Speaking with our correspondent on Wednesday, the state police Public Relations Officer, Omolola Odutola, said Rufai would be charged with attempted suicide and murder.
Odutola said, “He was fighting a noble cause in an ignoble way. He has a right to make a complaint that his money is missing. But the way he went about it was wrong. We are going to hold him for an attempt to commit suicide with murder because if he had succeeded, he would have killed himself and every other person in the bank.”(Punch)
