Revealed: Identity Of Knife-Wielding Man In Botched Nairobi Bank Robbery
Following the incident, the Nairobi West bank was closed to allow investigations to take place.
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The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has revealed details of the robbery that occurred at a local bank in Nairobi West on Tuesday, October 11, including the identity of the knife-wielding man.
In a statement on Wednesday, October 12, the sleuths revealed that the man had attempted to forcefully obtain money from the bank’s operations manager in the incident that occurred in the morning hours.
The man, identified as 29-year-old Boniface Ouma, stormed the banking hall after stabbing a guard severely on his back. At the time, the guard was conducting security checks on customers in the banking hall when the man attacked him from behind with a sharp object.
Administration Police officers containing a past protest. /NAIROBI NEWS
Reports earlier indicated that the man was posing as a customer and managed to circumvent security measures at the Nairobi West facility.
"The attacker went ahead to stab another man who was waiting to be served by a teller before he charged at the female operations manager like a wounded buffalo, grabbed her and demanded for money while pointing the knife drenched in human blood at her," the DCI stated in part.
The shocked manager raised an alarm which drew the attention of police officers stationed at the bank, who were at the moment overseeing the delivery of a consignment of cash.
The battle-hardened officers who were based at the Administration Police's (AP) Critical Infrastructure Protection Unit (CIPU) responded with exasperation, ordering the man to drop the knife held precariously close to the manager’s neck.
However, the man who was determined to accomplish his mission refused to heed their orders and instead threatened to slit her throat open at the slightest provocation.
"At this point, one of the officers whom this writer learnt has had stints at various specialized commando units in the Administration Police Service and has in the course of his career raided enemy positions in the northern frontier, fired a shot trained at the assailant’s right arm, destabilizing him on the spot.
"As the miscreant dropped on the ground writhing in pain, the officers quickly took charge of the situation and restored normalcy," added the DCI.
The victims of the attack whose bodies bore knife injuries were rushed to the Nairobi West hospital, where they were attended to in fair condition. Meanwhile, the suspect was rushed to Mbagathi hospital where he was admitted, under a round-the-clock guard.
Investigations have been launched to establish whether the attempted robbery was an inside job.
They are also reviewing the area's CCTV cameras to establish if the attack was pre-planned and whether the man was a frequent visitor to the bank.
Following the incident, the Nairobi West bank was closed to allow investigations to take place.
"Kindly note that we had a distress incident today morning at our Nairobi West Branch where an armed person attempted to gain access into the banking hall.
"Security agents led by local authorities are currently on site investigating the incident and the branch has been temporarily closed," it stated at the time.
Suspected robbery at the Nairobi West Branch of Equity Bank. Shots fired. pic.twitter.com/eWa6yZ4FmN — Marvin Chege (@marvin_chege10) October 11, 2022
