There was an incident of armed robbery yesterday at a Union Bank Plc branch in Ekiti State, which claimed the lives of two people; including that of the bank’s staff.
The unfortunate incident happened towards the end of the day within the bank premises located at Igede Ekiti in the Irepodun/Ifelodun Local Government Area of the state. A security guard was also confirmed dead.
Pictures that have emerged from the incident show a site of destruction; shattered glass windows, bullet-ridden cars and the bloodied body of one of the victims laid on the pavement.
Channels Television reports that the Nigeria Police Force in the State confirmed the incident, with the Police Public Relations Officer, Caleb Ikechukwu, disclosing that the robbers abandoned their car as they were chased by the Police.
It is expected that the abandoned car would facilitate the Police in their investigation, which should have commenced by now.
At the moment, no further information has been made public regarding the incident.
Eyewitnesses also described the moment the armed robbery started. According to them, there were two of the criminals (one male and female), both of whom suddenly began shooting sporadically. The locals ran for cover and sustained various degrees of injuries in the process.
In the meantime, Union Bank Plc has yet to issue any statement regarding the incident. One of the latest posts shared on their official Twitter handle is a throwback picture of the company’s advert for the 13th edition of the Lagos International Trade Fair.
Epic throwback! As seen in TELL no. 45 November 15.1993 newspaper.
The message is still the same, #ClearYourDoubt and count on us.
? by @shootbyochuko#throwback #throwbackthursday #tbt #DontBeAnUncleThomas #YourSimplerSmarterBank #UnionBank pic.twitter.com/mLRNOlcOUz
— UNION BANK (@UNIONBANK_NG) September 20, 2018
Established in 1917, Union Bank Plc is one of the oldest commercial banks in Nigeria, with billions of Naira worth of shareholders’ equities. The company’s half-year 2018 result shows a 16% increase in revenue to the tune of ₦83.33 billion compared to ₦72.06 billion in H1 2017.
Profit after tax also increased by 25% to ₦11.46 billion within the period compared to ₦9.20 billion recorded in H1 2017.
The company’s stock is currently trading at ₦5.80 on the floor of the Nigerian Stock Exchange.