Mr Isaiah Bakare, father of one of the slain members of staff of First Bank, Ido-Ani branch, Olusoga Bakare, has decried the failure of the bank to convey the death of his son to the family two days after he was shot dead.
Dare-devil armed robbers attacked the bank in Ido-Ani, Ondo State on Monday last week, killing seven people including members of staff of the branch and some customers.
They were said to have used a grenade to break the security doors and other facilities to gain entry into the bank.
Olusoga, 37, was the only son of his parents. He is survived by his only sister, wife, three children and his parents.
According to The Nation, Pa Bakare, who is the chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Ona-Ara Local Government of Oyo State, said that the bank did not inform the family of Olusoga’s death.
He recalled that the deceased uncle and his brother-in-law had to visit Ido-Ani on Tuesday, adding that his death was only confirmed at about 8:00 pm when the family members refused to leave the bank’s state headquarters in Akure.
If he had not sent people to find out what happened to Olusoga, he said he would have been in the dark till the press time. The behavior, he said, added to the woes of the family, including Olusoga’s distraught wife.
Pa Bakare added that the bank only sent a team to him on Wednesday to commiserate with the family without bringing a letter for the purpose.
He expressed surprise that a well-established bank such as First Bank could handle the issue of death of its workers that way.
His words: “I got to know about the incident when I received a call from his wife that she called her husband and he did not pick the call. I later called my son, the phone was ringing without response. The second day, around 10am, we tried one of his friend’s number, his co-worker at First Bank. The friend told us he was shot during the robbery incident that happened at the bank and that he was rushed to the hospital. I asked if I can speak with him, he said I can’t.
“I called on my younger bro and the younger sister’s husband and sent them on an investigative mission to his place of work to know what actually happened there. They stayed till 8pm before they were able to see the Manager and then the confirmation came about his death. I asked them to make the necessary arrangement and bring his corpse to Ibadan. The second day, the venerable of my church and the sister’s church came. We made the arrangement on how to bury him and I paid all the necessary expenses by myself.
“He was dead on the same day the incident happened according to his death certificate. The bank did not communicate to any family member about his death. So, you can see the extent of sorrow. He’s my only son.. He graduated from University of Nigeria, Nsukka and had his Master’s at Obafemi Awolowo University. He has been working with First Bank for over 10 years. He started with bank PHB. He was the Operation Manager and sometimes he worked as the Acting Manager. He played many roles.
“The bank sent a team here on Wednesday afternoon. They came from various branches. one thing I was expecting is a letter of condolence, this is a modern world. He got there through employment, they should have communicated with us.”
Pa Bakare also called for improved security at bank branches to ensure lives of their staff are safe enough.
He said: “the I told those who came on Wednesday that though my child is dead, how do we prevent a recurrence so that all you beautiful bankers that have come to meet me will not lose your lives? You have gone to school, you are learned and have got experience.
“I was told the robbery took hours; there must be security to protect their lives. If the banks should continue without good protection, those robbers will also be calculating on their next move. I think the security will enhance the future of the bank. My child has gone, Christ died for us and that’s why we are living. But there must be corrective measure on the banking sector to protect the lives of their workers and customers.”
