Festac Bank Robbery Claims Lives Of Fourteen Month Old Baby And The Mother(See Photos)

 

The gun battle between a group of policemen and some

armed robbers in the early hours of Tuesday, October 13,

2015 turned deadly as a woman and her 14-month-old

baby were hit by the robbers’ stray bullets and died.

The Trent had reported that over 20 heavily armed

bandits attacked Diamond and Access banks on 4th

Avenue in Festac Town, Lagos State in a one-hour

operation that has left a tragic trail of blood.

The woman, identified as Mrs. Jane Ndirieka and her

baby were hit in their house by stray bullets from the

robbers shooting spree. The victim’s neighbours who

spoke with our correspondent at their 4th Avenue flat

say that Mrs. Ndirieka was shot twice, one in the chest

and in other the right shoulder while she carried her

baby. Her baby died on the spot while she was rushed to

the hospital.

Our correspondent exclusively gathered from

investigations at the scene of the robbery that the bandits

arrived on three boats and berthed at the canal by the

fresh fruits market on the 4th Avenue in Festac. They

divided themselves into two groups.

Access Bank and Diamond Bank are located between two

junctions. Diamond Bank is close to the 4th Avenue by

5th Avenue Junction while Access Bank is closer to the

4th Avenue by 23 Road Junction. One group of the dare-

devil robbers who dressed in military fatigue set up a

road block at the 4th Avenue by 5th Avenue Junction

while the other team set up a road block by the 4th

Avenue by 23 Road Junction.

Once they blocked the junctions, they began to shoot

sporadically to scare off residents as they began to break

down the doors of the banks. According to an eye-

witness who spoke with our correspondent, the robbers

also set off explosives which looked liked bottles at the

scene.

A friend of the victim, Mrs. Jane Ndirieka, who was

present with her in her house when she was hit by the

robbers’ bullets tells The Trent that Mrs. Ndirieka was

first rushed to a nearby hospital in Festac Town where

she was rejected. All pleas made to the hospital to treat

her was rebuffed. At this point, Ndirieka had lost a lot of

blood and was losing consciousness.

While on the way to the government’s general hospital,

she died in the car and was pronounced dead on arrival

at the hospital.

Her baby, who was in her arms when she was hit by the

bullets which passed through the door and walls of her

flat and hit her, died on the spot. (The sad photo of the

dead baby is in the photo gallery below.)

Residents say that the police did not respond to any of

their distress calls and the robbery operation went

unchallenged for close to an hour.

The robbers shot a security guard at Diamond Bank

during the operation. The security guard (name withheld)

was rushed to a nearby hospital where the hospital staff

who spoke with The Trent confirmed that he was

conscious and an x-ray had been done to locate the

bullet.

According to eye-witnesses, the robbers who were at

least 20 in number, snatched two vehicles and used them

to pack their loot from the two banks – Diamond and

Access – before making their escape back to the waterside

canal close to the fresh fruits market where they boarded

their boats and fled.

Almost an hour after the robbers had fled the scene, the

Area Commander of the Police arrived the scene with his

team.

See more photos below:-