In a startling incident in Abeokuta, Ogun State, a man identified as Sodirudeen Rufai was apprehended for his attempt to set fire to the Guaranty Trust Bank building in the Oke-Ilewo Area.
This incident unfolded on Tuesday, and according to reports , the suspect’s motivation for such a drastic action stemmed from his claims of an unauthorized N500,000 debit from his bank account, which he alleged had gone unaddressed by the bank.
Rufai had initially reported the matter, seeking redress for the alleged unauthorized debit.
However, when he received advice from the Area Commander, Metro, Abeokuta, to allow the bank to follow its standard procedures in investigating the issue, he resorted to a more extreme course of action.
The situation took a dire turn when the bank informed him that he had been a victim of fraud.
Subsequently, Rufai returned to the bank with a container of petrol and began sprinkling it within the banking hall.
During this tense moment, bank customers fled for safety, while some, along with the bank’s security personnel, managed to subdue Rufai before he could ignite the flammable liquid he held.
The suspect was then handed over to the Ibara Police Division by the bank’s Chief Security Officer, Godwin James.
When questioned by the authorities, Rufai claimed that he resorted to such drastic measures to draw attention to the alleged mishandling of his funds by the bank.
Speaking about the incident, the state police Public Relations Officer, Omolola Odutola, stated that Rufai would face charges related to attempted suicide and potential harm to others. Odutola emphasized, “He was fighting a noble cause in an ignoble way.
He has a right to make a complaint that his money is missing. But the way he went about it was wrong.
We are going to hold him for an attempt to commit suicide with murder because if he had succeeded, he would have killed himself and every other person in the bank.”