Residents of Amarata area of Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, on Monday, foiled an armed robbery attempt on a bank customer, rescuing the victim and recovering N10 million in cash.
It was learnt that the armed robbers, who operated in a black SUV, trailed the victim from Guarantee Trust Bank (GTB), Amarata branch, where he withdrew the cash and shot several times at the victim who refused to stop on the Sani Abacha Road.
An eyewitness, Mary Fabi, told The TrackNews Online that the armed robbers shot at the tyres of the victim’s vehicle after he refused to stop, a development that forced the vehicle to skid off to the other side of the road and somersaulted before hitting a tricycle.
The accident caused heavy traffic gridlock on the busy road as residents and sympathisers, who immediately gathered at the scene, overwhelmed the armed robbers who escaped without the cash.
Presence of the sympathisers who gathered at the scene reportedly prevented the armed robbers from carting the cash away.
A police team and the sympathisers were seen rescuing the accident victim, a commercial tricycle operator and the victim of a robbery.
It was gathered that the police team at the commercial bank who responded to the distress call returned the recovered cash to the bank, while the victims were taken to an undisclosed hospital for medical attention.
When contacted, spokesman of the police in Bayelsa, Asinim Butswat, promised to revert to newsmen with details.
