Robbers Kill Ogun Finance Director, Get Away With Cash

Police are on the lookout for a group of robbers who killed Ogun finance director and got away with cash Wednesday.

Taiwo Oyekanmi, the director of Finance and Account at the Ogun State Governor's Office, was returning from Fidelity Bank after withdrawing funds for Thursday's budget presentation when he was shot, Police Commissioner Abiodun Alamutu said.

The incident took place on the NNPC Bridge, near Kuto in Abeokuta City. Oyekanmi was rushed to Ijaye Hospital but doctors there pronounced him dead.

"This afternoon, the director of finance with a driver and one other person left for Fidelity Bank to make some withdrawal. They went with a homemade bullion van," the police commissioner said, Leadership reported. "They were supposed to have a police escort, but for certain reasons, the person (policeman) was permitted to travel to attend to some issues. So, he was not part of the movement today."

It is not known how much cash was in the van.

The commissioner said Oyekanmi was on his way back to the office when a vehicle blocked his van.

"A vehicle blocked them on top of the bridge, five occupants of the vehicle came down, shot at the director and from their vehicle, they brought out a sledgehammer to force the receptacle where the money was kept open and they left with the money," he said.

The robbers sped off as there was no police escort with Oyekanmi. The driver of the van tried in vain to chase them.

Alamutu said police will check CCTV footage from the bank, which would give an "insight into the vehicle in question and the possibility of identifying the culprits if they ever ventured to step out of the vehicle or maybe they just maintained their position in the vehicle."

Alamutu has ordered all exits to be blocked to prevent the robbers from moving out of the state. Police are trying to identify the robbers. All five were reportedly wearing hoods.

Dubbing the incident a "rude shock" and "cold-blooded murder," Ogun Gov. Dapo Abiodun directed security agencies to find the criminals instantly and make them face the "full wrath of the law."

Just one day before the incident, the Nigerian Army arrested eight men in connection with the murder of a police superintendent in Asaba, Delta.