Panic gripped residents of Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, on Friday as a four-man armed robbery gang struck in broad daylight, firing repeatedly before escaping with several millions of naira snatched from an unsuspecting victim.
The attack happened along Muritala Muhammed Way, directly opposite the Vanguard Newspaper office.
Eyewitnesses said the assailants, all masked, arrived in an ash-coloured Toyota Corolla with a faded number plate.
A witness, who asked not to be named, said the gang appeared to have monitored their target before closing in.
According to him, the robbers opened fire on the victim’s grey Toyota Sienna, marked AA 693 GT, blowing out its two left tyres and forcing the driver to halt.
Three masked gunmen reportedly alighted from the Corolla while the fourth stayed behind the wheel, ready to speed off once the operation was completed.
The gang fired multiple shots into the air to disperse passers-by, causing residents, traders and motorists to scramble for safety. Stray bullets were said to have hit the Sienna driver on the arm, shattering the front and rear windshields and perforating the vehicle’s body.
“They packed the cartons full of money from the Toyota Sienna into their Corolla before speeding off,” an eyewitness said.
Another witness decried the lack of security presence during the incident, noting that no police officers were sighted before, during or immediately after the attack.
The Guardian learnt that Elder Stephen Oni, Kwara correspondent of The New Telegraph, sustained injuries while attempting to flee the gunfire.
Efforts to get the reaction of the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, were unsuccessful as calls to her line went unanswered.