Michael AndeyinOn Thursday, Kayode Egbetokun, the Inspector General of Police (IGP), said that only one bank robbery had been successful in Lagos since 2007.
Egbetokun made this statement at the 18th Annual Town Hall Meeting on Security organised by the Lagos State Security Trust Fund, where he said the security enjoyed by Lagos residents can be credited to the cooperation between the police and the state government.
He also said that while bank robberies used to be a common occurrence in Lagos, there had not been a successful one since 2014.
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“What we are doing here today is the usual assistance that the state government has been giving to the police in the state,” Egbetokun said.
“Without the assistance that the police receive from the government, we will not be able to do the much we are doing in Lagos State. We would have been overwhelmed with insecurity in Lagos.
“There was a time when armed robbery and bank robbery were common in Lagos, but I can recall that since 2007 till date, only one bank robbery succeeded in Lagos, and that was as far back as 2014. So, the days of armed robbery and bank robbery are gone.”
EQ has found that Egbetokun’s claims on the number of successful bank robberies since 2007 are inaccurate.
CLAIM
There has been only one successful bank robbery in Lagos since 2007 (17 years) and this successful operation happened in 2014.
VERIFICATION
To verify the IGP’s claim, EQ checked for reports on bank robberies in Lagos between January 1, 2007, and December 20, 2024. EQ found at least four successful bank robberies.
All of these happened in 2015, one year after 2014; the year the IGP claimed the state last witnessed a successful bank robbery.
LEKKI BANK ROBBERY – MARCH 12, 2015
On March 12, 2015, armed robbers attacked a First City Monument Bank (FCMB) at Plot B, Waterfront Plaza, Admiralty Way, Lekki Phase 1.
The robbers were in the bank for at least 25 minutes. They took all the money they found on the premises and even hacked the ATM vaults.
The robbery operation led to the death of four people. The robbers arrived in a speedboat and left via the same route.
IPAKODO BANK ROBBERY – JUNE 24, 2015
Three months after the Lekki robbery incident, another gang of armed robbers attacked branches of First Bank and Zenith Bank in Ebute Ipakodo, Ogolonto, Ikorodu.
The robbers left the bank with about N100 million. They operated in the bank for at least two hours after arriving at 8 am on June 24.
Although there was a police station opposite the two banks where the attacks took place, reports stated that the officers were handicapped.
Before leaving the scene, the robbers injured three people and set five vehicles ablaze.
FESTAC – OCTOBER 14, 2015
In October 2015, robbers attacked two banks on 4th Avenue, Festac. They were reported to have dressed in military camouflage uniforms and used dynamite to destroy the security entrance gates after which they gained entry into the banks.
Their operation led to the death of a mother and her child who were hit by stray bullets.
The police also responded to this attack but they were about one and a half hours late.
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AGBARA BANK ROBBERY – NOVEMBER 19, 2015
About 45 members of a robbery gang stormed two banks in Agbara on November 19, 2015. They attacked a Zenith Bank on Bank Road, killed two guards and shot a pregnant woman.
The robbers penetrated the vicinity through boats and used dynamite to destroy the security entrance gates after which they gained entry into the banks.
VERDICT
The IGP’s claim about only one robbery incident in Lagos since 2007 is false.
CONCLUSION
The IGP made false claims about bank robbery incidents in Lagos between 2007 and 2024.
The post FACT-CHECK: IGP’s Claim of Only One Successful Bank Robbery in Lagos Since 2007 Not True appeared first on Foundation For Investigative Journalism.
