N60m from missing bullion van found abandoned in Port Harcourt supermarket premises

The display of N60 million, reportedly recovered by the Rivers State Police Command, after a bullion van conveying over N100 million went missing on Friday, left many dumbfounded.

The command said the money, belonging to one of the new generation banks in the state, was recovered on Monday after it was abandoned at the premises of a popular supermarket in a taxi car within GRA, Port Harcourt.

The bullion van, which conveyed the over N100 million to Rivers State from Aba in Abia State, was declared missing on Friday, last week, and a formal complaint was allegedly lodged at Rivers State Police Command, leading to an investigation.

Addressing pressmen yesterday in Port Harcourt, Deputy Police Commissioner in charge of Administration, Mr. Uche Anozia, explained that the bullion van was contracted from a company in the state to convey money for two new generation banks in Port Harcourt from Aba.

Anozia stated that the bullion van was declared missing after security escorts accompanying the van disembarked when it had delivered money to one of the banks on the grounds that they were only paid to escort for Zenith Bank.

He added that the driver of the bullion van drove off to a yet-to-be-known destination after the escorts allowed him to go and deliver the N100 million to the other bank, Stanbic Bank.

He said: “On July 8, last Friday, we received a report by one Mr. Stanley Ndubuisi of Bankers Warehouse, about a missing bullion van. It was rented by Zenith Bank and Stanbic Bank, here in Port Harcourt to bring cash from Aba.

“Arriving Port Harcourt, it went to Zenith Bank, delivered the money meant for the bank. According to the complainant, at that point the soldiers disembarked and left. Now it remained the money for Stanbic Bank and the driver alone. Consequently, the driver absconded with the money.

“We got information on July 11, that a certain Ford Explorer was parked at the premises of Everyday Supermarket, located in GRA and that the vehicle contains sacks suspected to be bank property.

“I immediately dispatched my DC Operations to the area to verify. Fortunately for us, it was discovered that the sacks in the vehicle belong to Stanbic Bank because of the seals on them.

“The amount recovered, according to information, is N60,250,000. The driver that parked the car there is the driver of Everyday Supermarket. He is on the run now.”

Credit: Vanguard