Suspected armed bandits fatally shot an accountant, Taiwo Oyekanmi, in Abeokuta on Wednesday, fleeing with a substantial amount of money he had just withdrawn from the bank. Oyekanmi, the Director of Finance and Accounts at the Governor’s Office, had collected an undisclosed sum of money from a branch of Fidelity Bank in Abeokuta before the tragic incident unfolded.
After leaving the bank, Oyekanmi was en route back to the office when he was intercepted and attacked by the gunmen under the Kuto bridge, where he tragically succumbed to his injuries inflicted by the assailants who absconded with the money he was carrying.
Reports indicate that Oyekanmi and his assistants, who also sustained gunshot wounds, were promptly rushed to the State General Hospital at Ijaiye. Regrettably, Oyekanmi later passed away as a result of the injuries sustained during the vicious attack.
The Commissioner of Police in the state, Abiodun Alamutu, disclosed that Oyekanmi was accompanied by a driver and another individual, and they were moving with a makeshift bullion van.
“They were supposed to be accompanied by a police escort, but due to certain reasons, the officer was granted permission to attend to other matters, consequently, he was not present during the movement,” Alamutu explained.
According to the report, after withdrawing the funds and while returning to the office, they were ambushed.
“A vehicle obstructed their path on the bridge, five occupants disembarked from the vehicle, opened fire at the director, and proceeded to forcibly access the vault containing the money using a sledgehammer before fleeing with the stolen funds,” Alamutu added.
“At that time, the police escort was absent and the assailants swiftly departed. The driver claimed to have trailed them to a location near Conference Hotel but lost contact with them,” he continued.
Alamutu further mentioned that he had instructed the Area Commander to obtain the CCTV footage from the bank, which could potentially aid in identifying the vehicle in question.
“There is a possibility of identifying the culprits if they disembarked from the vehicle or, if they remained inside, their position might be discernible. I have coordinated with the authorities in Lagos and all relevant units in the command to seal off all exit points out of the state while we endeavor to apprehend them as they were five and wore hoods,” he affirmed.
The Secretary to the State Government, Tokunbo Talabi, has visited the bereaved family of the late accountant to offer condolences.
