The alleged Closed-Circuit Television footage of the Offa bank robbery has surfaced.
The four-minute video, which went viral on the Internet on Wednesday, revealed the moment the robbers attacked one of the five affected banks.
The gunmen had neutralised the security post with what appeared like grenades before entering the bank and operating unfettered.
The assailants were said to have carted away millions of naira as they robbed the banks for about one hour without any challenge from security agents.
The state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Ado Lawan, who put the casualty figure at 17, said nine policemen died during the attack.
The Operations Commander, Vigilance Group of Nigeria, Offa, Kwara State chapter, Wasiu Adepoju, however, said vigilantes in the state counted 50 dead bodies.
The unverified video clip of the incident showed that the robbers struck at 4.41pm.
The video started with a woman and her daughter entering into the bank as two men chatted at the door of the security post.
Suddenly, there was chaos as gunfire directed at the bank sent everyone scurrying for cover.
Two gunmen emerged from the low fence gate of the bank, shooting into the security post, while someone returned fire from the inside.
The gunmen dodged behind the security post and waited for a few seconds.
The assailants jumped out of the bank premises from the back of the post and returned with more weapons, including what appeared like grenades.
A haze of smoke regularly drifted through the atmosphere, suspected to be the effects of the blowing up of the entrances with dynamite – as later alleged by security men and witnesses.
One of the gunmen tip-toed towards the door of the security post and attempted to throw a grenade into it, which exploded outside.
He returned a second time and threw another grenade through the window, as he ran far for cover.
Thick ash smoke enveloped the security post as the grenade exploded.
The suspects, satisfied that the coast was clear, picked their bags and ran towards a place suspected to be the entrance into the main building.
They kept running to and fro the compound with bags of what appeared to be money.
Nigerians, who reacted to the video, said the gunmen were not ordinary robbers, adding that they appeared well trained.
One Damilola, who commented Online, said, “Having watched with keen interest, this is a state crime; the actors involved are well trained in warfare.”
Another writer, Dara Usman, said there was the need for banks to invest in gadgets.
“There is the need for banks to invest in clear security cameras. The video quality is very poor. A clear video will be a deterrent in the future,” Usman said.
On Nairaland, one Nsiazu, said, “This is pure Terminator moves which our incompetent and untrained Nigerian police lack; imagine how they aren’t scared of handling grenades. I suspect that some of these vandals are from the Nigerian military. I also suspect the Force men who don’t use uniforms but black polo and jeans. It’s high time Nigeria started using drones to combat terrorism.”
