Cash Crunch: Attacks On Banks Tantamount To Robbery, Police Warn

The Nigeria Police Force has warned against attacks on banks and described such action as armed robbery. 

This warning came on the heels of attacks on bank facilities in several parts of the country following the naira crunch.

But the Force spokesman Olumuyiwa Adejobi has cautioned against such, saying it will be resisted.

“We complain banks don’t attend to us yet we go to their facilities and set them ablaze, destroy ATMs. How do you want them to serve you better if you have destroyed their facilities?” he said in a recorded video posted on the NPF’s Facebook page Friday.

“I think we need to educate ourselves on what the law says about this. You don’t go to any bank, ATM, or financial institution to attack. It is criminal and tantamount to armed robbery. If you are caught in the act, you will be treated as an armed robber.”

Protests Must be Coordinated

“Even the ATM, as small as that machine is, has certain protections from the security agencies, particularly the police. it is an infrastructure that you don’t attack. If you do that, it is presumed that it is actually going there to rob,” Adejobi warned.

He also warned against attacks on police officers, appealing to Nigerians to desist from such as the Force want to use the “minimum force” on people.

The spokesman called on Nigerians to be civil in their protests while citing the recent events in Edo, Delta, Ogun, and some parts of Lagos State.

“A protest must be coordinated. We can be civil and do it better,” he said, claiming that some of the protests have been hijacked.

“And these guys that come out are not interested in demanding their monies or requesting anything from the government. It is just to loot shops. You can see the clips showing that these guys are there to foment troubles. They have their targets,” he added.