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‘It’s inside job!’ Russian woman robbed of $3,500 fingers Zenith Bank staff
How could a customer who left a bank with $3,500 be trailed by an armed robber right from the banking hall and eventually be dispossessed of the money without prior knowledge of the transaction or being tipped off?
This was the question on the lips of 55-year-old Angelina Gold, Russian woman who went through the exact ordeal on Friday, June 14, shortly after she withdrew the money from a Zenith Bank Plc branch in Lagos.
She suspected that someone might have witnessed how she was paid the money in the banking hall or some workers of the bank’s branch located along Isaac John Street, GRA Ikeja might be feeding information to robbers.
Gold was not only dispossessed of her withdrawal, but is currently nursing a gunshot wound after she was shot in the foot by a lone robber in her compound at Oba Akinjobi GRA Ikeja when she was hesitant to release the money, less than three hours after the bank transaction.
SaharaReporters quoted her as saying: “On Friday (June 14, 2024), my daughter and I went to Zenith Bank at Isaac John Street to collect dollars so me and my grandson can travel on Monday (June 17, 2024) to my country. It was $3,500. Two days before, we told the bank we were coming to get the dollars.
“Once we were done, we went to Oasis and Ebeano supermarket to spend some time there. As we were returning home, my daughter saw a guy at Cubana bus stop. We noticed we had been seeing him around since we left the bank but we didn’t really suspect anything. So when we approached our house at Oba Akinjobi Street, Ikeja, my daughter screamed again that the man that we saw at the junction was around again. How come he trekked so fast? We still didn’t pay attention.
“So we drove into our compound. I parked my car. And as I opened my car door to step out, this man walked up to me and asked if I knew why he was here. He said he came to collect the dollars I withdrew and that he had a gun and was an armed robber. He said he didn’t want to kill me but only wanted what I took from the bank. My six-year-old grandson came out and he pointed his gun at him and my daughter. I tried to protect them to stop him from the nonsense and then he shot me in the foot, collected the money and ran away.
“How could such happen so fast after she left the bank, without disclosing their movement to anyone. It was certainly not a random robbery. I suspect an insider in the bank because we never told anyone we were going to the bank. And Zenith Bank was carelessly giving dollars openly in the hall. This can trigger robbery cases. And for many years, no one has ever experienced armed robbery in our neighborhood in GRA Ikeja. So something is wrong with the security. Banks should stop giving dollars openly in the hall.
“Even if someone saw us collecting dollars and decided to trail us, how was it possible to organise the robbery in just two hours? There were only two people in the hall at that time. So it’s easy to trace. I strongly believe there was an insider in the bank who gave out our information. A few weeks ago, my daughter withdrew a huge amount of dollars from the same bank. Then she called two days before we went to collect another amount of dollars. I’m just thinking about these things; I may be wrong.”
Gold told SaharaReporters that she returned to the bank to officially lodge a complaint but realised it was already closed for the day. This was after she had gone to the hospital for medical attention.
And with the Sallah holidays on Monday and Tuesday, June 17 and 18 respectively, Gold noted that she could not get across to the bank.
“I tried calling them since it happened around 3 pm, by the time we had taken the matter to the police and I was driven to the hospital for treatment, the bank had closed.
“Unfortunately, I have to return to return to Russia on Monday (June 17, 2024) because I have my ticket already. And now I’m travelling without money and with a bullet wound on my foot. I have even spoken to the owner of the Zenith Jim Ovia so I believe the top hierarchy know about this incident,” she said.
Stressing that she reported the matter to the police, she said: “I reported this matter to CSP Oke, the Divisional Police Officer at Area F Police Station in our neighbourhood at Oba Akinjobi. They only said they would be on it and only provided escorts for me to go to the hospital and then to the airport when I’m travelling.
“Banks to stop giving dollars to people openly in the bank, I would like to stress that again, otherwise they would be inviting criminals who might in turn kill their customers or rob them. There’s nothing much I think can be done. If I can get back my money and the culprit arrested, then that would be awesome. At least I’m glad he didn’t shoot my grandson or daughter or even shoot me dead.”
“I’m sure the robber is a trained security operative judging from the way he acted and how he handled the gun. I know all these because in 2014 I was invited as a supervisor to train special forces during the Sambo Dasuki case. I took all the officers to Russia for training. So I know how they act and behave. The bullet is actually with me. It entered the ground when he shot me in the foot. I picked it up. I will take it to the military hospital in Russia and show them,” she added.
When SaharaReporters called the DPO of the Ikeja station where Gold said she lodged a complaint to get an update on the matter, he declined to discuss the matter on the phone.
“Please, you will have to come to the police station if you have any question to ask,” he said.
Benjamin Hundeyin, spokesman of the Lagos State Police Command, who was later to confirm the incident, was quoted to have told the online newspaper that the matter has even gotten to the desk of the state police commissioner, adding: “The DPO made me to understand that he responded swiftly. It was the day President Bola Tinubu came to Lagos and he was at the airport. He left there immediately and went to the woman’s house and personally took the woman to Duchess Hospital and checked up on her every day.
“He even went to her house on Monday morning to escort her to the airport. On the day the incident happened, the Russian woman successfully entered into her house only for the gunman to tell the security guys at the gate that he was with her and so he was allowed in. And that’s how he robbed the woman.
“How would a stranger be allowed to gain entry into a private compound, rob the woman of her money and leave without any confrontation. As we speak, the security men are in detention. Because if they are not collaborators, why did they allow a stranger to come in without identifying him?”
Hundeyin, who stressed that the bank workers involved in the transaction had already been written to and were expected to respond by Wednesday when work would resume after the Sallah holidays, added: “The DPO has also written to the bank to speak with the bank manager, the teller and every other person that knew about the withdrawal because it’s a bit strange that the gunman followed her to her house and specifically asked for the money that she withdrew from the bank.
“The bank manager will come to the station for his statement. The security guards have also written theirs and are still in detention. The woman said she’s going to Russia to buy a property this week otherwise the price will go up.”
SaharaReporters also quoted Ayoola Kushimo, the bank’s spokesman as saying the affected must lodge an official complaint at the bank before he would be able to speak on the issue, adding: “The case in question is new to me. The woman in question has to lodge an official complaint first. Or who did she complain to? You? If at all she made any complaints on Friday when it happened, she is likely not to get any response until Wednesday (June 19, 2024) which is the resumption day after the Sallah holidays. Please allow whatever complaints she has made to the head office to filter till Wednesday. I’m sure they will act on it. Thank you.”
Hours after Mohammed Hayatu-Deen did, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, on Tuesday, also flatly rejected the outcome of the presidential primaries, of the African Democratic Congress, alleging widespread voter disenfranchisement and electoral malpractice.
Amaechi former Minister of Transportation and former Governor of Rivers State, described the announced results as “concocted,” insisting that the process failed to meet the standards of transparency and fairness earlier promised by the party.
He said in a statement: “I unequivocally reject the concocted results being announced,” Amaechi stated.
He said he had previously maintained that he would only accept the outcome of the primaries if the process was free, fair and transparent, stressing that the exercise did not reflect the democratic values the ADC claimed to represent.
“I will not accept results from a process that does not reflect the values that the ADC had pledged to uphold, to rescue Nigerians from the impunity and gross mismanagement that our country is currently facing in the hands of the ruling party,” he said.
Amaechi alleged that a significant number of party members were denied the opportunity to vote during the exercise.
“There’s no way that about eighty percent of members of the party were not allowed to vote, and you expect me to accept such results,” he stated.
The former Rivers State governor questioned the moral basis of the ADC criticising the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) over alleged electoral malpractice while allegedly engaging in similar conduct internally.
“A party that criticizes the ruling APC and INEC for vote buying, rigging and writing of results, cannot be engaged in vote buying, writing of results, and other electoral malpractices that leads to the disenfranchisement of voters who are party members. This is not acceptable!” he declared.
Amaechi said the ADC was envisioned as a platform to amplify the voices of ordinary Nigerians and provide credible political alternatives irrespective of ethnicity, religion or social background.
His rejection of the outcome is expected to deepen tensions within the opposition party following the conclusion of its presidential primary election.
“These timeless virtues of devotion, selflessness, and submission to divine will are values our nation desperately needs today,” were the exact words with which Godswill Akpabio, attempted to rouse Nigerians to the ethos of unquestionable faith and service to the country.
Akpabio, Chairman of the National Assembly, who drew example from Prophet Ibrahim, admonished Nigerians to emulate his unwavering faith, obedience, and willingness to sacrifice for the sake of Almighty Allah.
The Senate President, who conveyed his sentiments via a statement by Eseme Eyiboh, also used the specifically hail President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, his vice, Kashim Shettima and Muslim faithful in Nigeria and around the world as they celebrate Eid El Kabir.
Stressing that the occasion called for prayer and sober reflection on the theme of sacrifice, he added: “This sacred occasion reminds us of Prophet Ibrahim’s unwavering faith, obedience, and willingness to sacrifice for the sake of Almighty Allah.
“To our dear President, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Nigeria, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, his vice, Senator Kashim Shettima and Muslim brothers and sisters, I felicitate with them on behalf of my family, constituents and the Senate on this blessed Eid. May the lessons of sacrifice, compassion, and generosity that define this season strengthen your faith and bring peace to your homes.
“As you share with the less privileged and extend love to neighbours of all faiths, you embody the true spirit of Nigeria. To all Nigerians, I urge us to use this solemn period to pray fervently for peace, security, and prosperity in our land. Let us pray for our troops in the frontlines, for farmers to return safely to their fields, and for unity to prevail over division in our Nation.
“Eid El Kabir also calls us to deep reflection on the future of our country. Just as Prophet Ibrahim was tested, Nigeria is in a season of testing. The sacrifices we make today in patience, in tolerance and in choosing hope over despair will determine the Nigeria our children inherit.
“The Renewed Hope Agenda of this administration, supported by the National Assembly, is anchored on that same principle: that meaningful progress often requires collective sacrifice.
“May Almighty Allah accept your prayers and sacrifices. May He heal our land, guide our leaders, and bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Barka da Sallah. Eid Mubarak.”
“I will not be attending the announcement of the ADC Presidential Election Results today. I am concerned by reports from across the country of widespread vote rigging, some of which I myself observed, and will therefore be taking advice on my next steps.”
These were the exact words of Mohammed Hayatu-Deen, one of the presidential aspirants of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), with which he cast a slur on the ongoing presidential primaries of the party, hinging his position on reports of fraud trailing the exercise.
Hayatu-Deen, a second timer in the search for the nation’s number one job, ran against Atiku Abubakar, Nigeria’s former Vice President and Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi, former Minister of Transportation.
In a statement on his assessment of the exercise which began on Monday, the renowned economist Chairman of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG), used his X platform to convey his dissatisfaction with the process.
The ADC which said the collation for the exercise would take place in Abuja had urged aspirants, party leaders, delegates, and members to conduct themselves peacefully and uphold party unity.
Bolaji Abdullahi, its spokesman, who described the exercise as a defining moment for both the ADC and Nigerians seeking a credible political alternative, maintained that it remained committed to internal democracy and a transparent leadership selection process.
“The ADC remains proud to stand today as the only truly democratic party in Nigeria because it is the only political party whose choice of presidential candidate is determined through open primaries,” he said adding that the conduct of aspirants and party members during the exercise would reflect the leadership culture the ADC seeks to promote.
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