It was about 10:09 that I decided to go to Diamond Bank Nkpolu/Mile 3 branch along Ikwerre Road in Port Harcourt for the processing of my Bank Verification Number, BVN. The bank isn't far from RSUST round about. I left for the Bank with my good neighbour who I convinced to opening an account with the bank for his wife, so his wife came along with us.
We got there at about 10:40. The BVN took less than 20minutes so, by 11:00 we would have been on our way home but for the que on the exit door. So we waited for 5minutes, it was 11:05 now.
My neighbour's wife was out already and my neighbour was in the exit door (abi na room) set to go while I was still standing. All of a sudden, we heard gun shots but it didn't shake us until it kept sounding. Over 200 people (staff included) inside the bank started shivering. People started recieving calls from outside that armed robbers were around. I got close to the window, opened the curtain a bit just to get a glance at what was happening outside of the bank but I couldn't see anything beyond the bank premises. I only saw customers hiding behind themselves outside the bank. The gun kept making the scary noise.
At this point, my heart started boiling, I began to think of my mother, siblings, friends and other beloved ones. My neighbour was stuck in the exit door as the door power was switched off cos the order was no going out or coming in. We ran into different rooms. Some women started crying. An old man (supposedly in his 70s) started rolling on the floor. The bank staff started calling police men but police didn't come despite the fact that a police station was just at UST junction not far from the bank. 14minutes later, there was great silence in the area. That was when a staff got a call and was told that the robbers had gone but they didn't still allow movement in the bank. People started coming out of several rooms in great numbers. We started complaining that we wanted to go. After sometime, a staff (don't know if it was the manager) started ordering everybody to stop filling forms and withdrawal/deposit slips. He said the bank had stopped operation for the day. Now the door was open, we rushed out and saw police men checking on a green colour 4runner jeep parked directly opposite the bank. That was when we discovered that robbers had attacked a man and took over 1million Naira from him. The robbers didn't come for the bank. I'm glad I'm resting at home now. As I no die today eh, I no fit die again.
We got there at about 10:40. The BVN took less than 20minutes so, by 11:00 we would have been on our way home but for the que on the exit door. So we waited for 5minutes, it was 11:05 now.
My neighbour's wife was out already and my neighbour was in the exit door (abi na room) set to go while I was still standing. All of a sudden, we heard gun shots but it didn't shake us until it kept sounding. Over 200 people (staff included) inside the bank started shivering. People started recieving calls from outside that armed robbers were around. I got close to the window, opened the curtain a bit just to get a glance at what was happening outside of the bank but I couldn't see anything beyond the bank premises. I only saw customers hiding behind themselves outside the bank. The gun kept making the scary noise.
At this point, my heart started boiling, I began to think of my mother, siblings, friends and other beloved ones. My neighbour was stuck in the exit door as the door power was switched off cos the order was no going out or coming in. We ran into different rooms. Some women started crying. An old man (supposedly in his 70s) started rolling on the floor. The bank staff started calling police men but police didn't come despite the fact that a police station was just at UST junction not far from the bank. 14minutes later, there was great silence in the area. That was when a staff got a call and was told that the robbers had gone but they didn't still allow movement in the bank. People started coming out of several rooms in great numbers. We started complaining that we wanted to go. After sometime, a staff (don't know if it was the manager) started ordering everybody to stop filling forms and withdrawal/deposit slips. He said the bank had stopped operation for the day. Now the door was open, we rushed out and saw police men checking on a green colour 4runner jeep parked directly opposite the bank. That was when we discovered that robbers had attacked a man and took over 1million Naira from him. The robbers didn't come for the bank. I'm glad I'm resting at home now. As I no die today eh, I no fit die again.
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