By Adedeji Joseph, Ilorin
Not less than four of the victims of armed robbery attack on Offa, Kwara State met their death while lodging complaints of a family quarrel at the police station.
Sources said that a woman had earlier in the day dragged some members of her household to the Owode police station alleging that somebody was peeping through the door of their bathroom while she was bathing.
Both herself, the person she accused and others who were invited to the police station were resolving the issue when the robbery siege on the town spread to the station and they were all allegedly killed.
Also, some traders within the vicinity of the set of banks along Oloffa Way who ran to the station for protection were said to eventually become victims when the bandicts later pounced on the station killing everyone in sight.
Reliable accounts in Offa said these victims formed part of the scores, made up of police, bank customers, traders, passers-by, and complainants at the police station who died in the gruesome armed robbery attack in the ancient town.
However, Kwara Police Commissioner, Lawan Ado while addressing in Ilorin at the weekend insisted that only seventeen people were killed as against tens of dead bodies shown in gory photographs sent on the social media.
Speaking with journalists in Ilorin, the CP disclosed that seven suspects have been arrested in connection with the incident, while seven vehicles used and abandoned by the armed robbers in carrying out the operation were recovered at Igosun, Oyun Local Government Area.
In all, five commercial banks namely; First bank, Guarantee Trust Bank, Eco Bank, Zenith and Ibolo Community bank were said to be attacked by the robbers .
Meanwhile, the state Governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed had offered to give N5m to anyone who provides useful information that would lead to the arrest of the fleeing deadly armed robbers.
Ahmed, in a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Communications, Dr. Muyideen Akorede pleaded with residents and citizens with useful information on the incident to contact the state police command on telephone numbers; 0803 739 1280 and 0803 702 4320.
The governor assured such informants of a guaranteed anonymity, confidentiality and safety with no harm befalling them on accounts of their assisting the security agencies to arrest the attackers.
Governor Ahmed announced that police and other security agencies in the country had begun strong manhunt for the bandicts and pledged to spare no effort in the search.He promised to settle hospital bills of the injured victims.
