Uromi Bank Robbery: Youths Block Escape Route Of Robbers, Money, Cars Recovered, One Arrested

By Adesina Soyooye

Heart-warming reports say that courageous youths from Ubiaja village Edo State have done the unprecedented.

On Thursday, February 24, 2022, robbers, armed to the teeth, in a brazen manner, in broad day light, as never witnessed before, stormed Uromi, Edo State, and attacked four banks in a row. The robbers, numbering over 20, came in cars and motorcycles. And the operation was fatal. The banks included Zenith, Union, Unity and UBA.

By the time they left, carrying sacks of cash running into tens of  millions which they loaded in their cars, six people – two Policemen and four civilians – lay dead. “It was a well coordinated operation”, Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki lamented when he visited the affected banks on Friday for an on the spot assessment.

But fate and nemesis dealt with them. A couple of hours later, all their efforts came crashing. Courageous youths of Ubiaja Community, did the unprecedented.

Using whatever things they could lay their hands on, they blocked the only route the daredevils were to use as escape route.

They blocked Ubiaja  Road by the rail line, which forced the robbers to abandon their cash ladden vehicles off the rail line, and fled in their  motorcycles. One of the devils was, allegedly, arrested, said an unconfirmed report.

“The vehicles and cash were recovered same Thursday  evening”, said a source, and cash counted amounted to over N34 million.

The Edo State Police Command Command confirms the recovery of millions of cash and the armed robbers’ operational vehicles.

In a statement issued on Friday, February 25, 2022,  the Spokesman of the Command, SP Bello Kongtongs;  told the Command’s own version of what happened, and how the vehicles and money were recovered.

According to the Command: “On 25/02/2022, at about 0730, Operatives of the Edo State Police Command, in conjunction with local vigilance members, accompanied by Chief John Odijie, the Oniha of Ubiaja, acting on credible information that some vehicles, suspected to have been used by armed robbers in the Uromi bank robbery operations on the 24/02/2022, were seen hidden in Oruen Quarters bush of Ubiaja in Esan South-east LGA of Edo State.

“On receipt of the information, the Divisional Police Officer in charge of Ubiaja mobilised his men who, during the bank robbery, blocked all the exit routes from in and out of Uromi town, together with the team mobilised to the location and recovered the following  vehicles and items: One red Camry car with Reg. No. KWL 19 DU. One dark Ash Corolla  car with Reg. No. UBJ 784 SZ. One Lexus 330 car with Reg. No. AAA 973 FL. One red Q. Link M/Cycle with Reg. No. ENU 204 QL, two small bags containing women items. One Union Bank ATM card and the sum of thirty four million, five hundred and ten thousand Naira, only (#34,510,000,000).

The Police did not, however, confirm the arrest of any of the armed robbers as claimed by earlier reports.

Investigations are ongoing.