A bank customer in Minna, Niger State, had a brush with death on Friday after being followed from a local bank by gunmen who eventually robbed him of millions in cash and his car along Shiroro Road.
The robbery took place at roughly 3:00 p.m. on March 6, 2026.
The victim, David Adebayo Emmanuel, told journalists that he had earlier visited a bank where he withdrew N5 million shortly before 2:00 p.m.
According to him, he later went to another bank and withdrew an additional N3 million, adding that he already had N1 million in his possession.
Emmanuel explained that he briefly stopped at Iyafemi Restaurant along Shiroro Road to buy food when the attack took place.
“I had just entered my car when a well-dressed man walked up to me and said if I moved he would kill me. At first, I thought he was a police officer joking, but when he cocked his gun at me, I realised it was a robbery,” he said.
According to him, he managed to struggle with the suspect and wrestle the rifle away before running back into the restaurant while two other robbers who had been waiting nearby rushed toward his vehicle.
“I started firing the gun even though I had no experience using one. I believe I shot one of them in the forehead. The other two dragged him towards their car stained with his blood but when it refused to start, they abandoned it and escaped with my vehicle,” the victim added.
Police sources said the attackers forcefully took the victim’s money and fled the scene with his Toyota Corolla.
The Nigeria Police Force spokesperson in Niger State, Wasiu Abiodun, confirmed the incident when contacted. He said the suspects abandoned the vehicle they used for the operation and escaped with the victim’s car.
He added that the victim recovered one of the rifles believed to have been used by the robbers during the attack.
“Police operatives attached to the Tudun-Wada Division later moved to the scene where they recovered the rifle and the abandoned vehicle,” he stated.
The case has since been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) in Minna for further investigation.
Authorities said efforts are ongoing to track down and arrest the fleeing suspects.
