Some residents and business operators in Ikorodu area of Lagos on Friday urged the Lagos State Government and the Nigeria Police Force to secure investments in the area by beefing up security.

The business operators and residents told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the business environment was prone to risks following the attacks on four banks in the town.

According to them, increasing security in the town will boost economic activities due to the volume of daily financial transactions by companies in the area.

NAN recalls that recent robbery attacks on some old generation banks in the area have caused panic and disrupted business activities within the town.

The aftermath of the attack was customers’ disenchantment with using the banks due to to overcrowded banking halls and poor services from the ATMs.

The Chief Executive of Better World Ltd., Mrs Elizabeth Johnson, appealed to the government to safeguard lives and investments in Ikorodu.

"If banks that are guarded could be robbed in daylight, then business operators that do not have access to security are more vulnerable to attacks.

"Losses to robbery attacks will deter the economic growth of the state and undermine the business confidence."

Mr Babatunde Lambo, a businessman, said that continuous attacks on banks in the area could lead to relocation of banks from the area.

"Banks in some towns in some states have stopped operating due to constant attacks on their branches; we do not want such to happen in Ikorodu.

"Before, we were advocating that banks should increase their branches and ATM locations in the town to serve the teeming customers, but with the recent happenings, I doubt if that will be possible.

"We need the government to quickly resolve security issues in the town because existence of banks is vital for smooth business activities."

Mrs Rosemary Iloba, a supermarket operator at Ewu Elepe, Ikorodu, said that since the closure of the banks at Ijede due to armed robbery attacks, financial transactions in the area had become stressful.

"We all have to make the journey to Ikorodu before we can make transactions which is highly inconvenient because of the distance and overcrowded banking halls.

"We urge the government and police to collaborate on ensuring security and continuous development of economic activities in the state," she said. (NAN)

Photo shows: Scene of Bank Robbery

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