Less than 24 hours after the Lagos State Police Commissioner, CP Hakeem Odumosu warned banks to provide adequate security for their bullion vans, two bullion van drivers have been arrested, while their vehicles were impounded at the Ajah axis of the State over poor security.
Odumosu, on Tuesday, frowned at the attitude of banks and financial institutions in the State to the security of banks facilities and cash in transit.
The driver of the bullion van was arrested by the Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), Gbolahan Olugbemi, in charge of Ajah Command.
It was learnt that the Area commander ordered his men to arrest the two bullion vans’ drivers and impounded their vehicles which belonging to the Bankers warehouse.
Olugbemi was said to have ordered the vehicles to be impounded for violating approved standard species escort procedure which includes an escort vehicle in front and at the back with minimum of four mobile police men in each vehicle with the Bullion Van at the middle, as of the time of arrest.
The vans were said to be without a single escort vehicle which has been their usual practice by cash in transit in the State.
According to him, the arrest came following a meeting held with the management of Banks and their subsidiaries on Tuesday 1st of December, 2020, by the Commissioner of police.
This appears to be an indication to enforce further violations of standard practice, as it was said that towards the end of the December 1st meeting, ACP Gbolahan Olugbemi, vowed to arrest any violator.
He said: “in ensuring compliance, I ordered the two bullion vans found somewhere in Ajah and Lekki for breach of security to be impounded and their drivers arrested, we are not going to tolerate such act in the State anymore and we have also been directed to go after them.”
It was reported that Odumosu said that in the attack on a bullion van at Langbansa-Ajah area of the state recently, where there was no adequate or official deployment of men for such movement, two policemen allegedly on the escort movement were procured illegally and without the knowledge of the command.
He therefore, ordered that henceforth, adequate security must be provided for their facilities and movement of cashes, after due approval for such movement by the Commissioner of police as the police command would no longer tolerate any poor security arrangements for cash in transit in the state.
