A senior marketing executive and four other officials of a bank were among 11 suspected armed robbers arrested in Lagos yesterday.

The bank officials allegedly collaborated with others to rob his bank’s customer of over N120million.

It was gathered that the five officials were attached to the Gbagada branch of the bank.

They are being interrogated by detectives at the State's Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), Ikeja.

Police sources said the senior marketing executive, who allegedly planned the robbery, was to have collaborated with two of the bank’s security guards and two other members of the staff.

The bank officials, it was gathered, allegedly invited a man named Sadiq, who is believed by the police to be a notorious armed robber, who in turn invited six other members of his gang.

The gang was said to have procured guns in Lagos and ordered for some more from Benin City, Edo State capital.

Trouble, however, started when the police got wind of the plan to rob the bank.

Plain clothes policemen in anticipation of the robbery, stormed the bank on the day of the operation.

One of the suspects, a member of the bank’s staff had informed the police that some weapons, including two pistols, were already concealed in a Computer Processing Unit (CPU), dumped in the bank premises for use on the day of operation.

The robbers, who pretended to be customers, were dressed in suits, Sadiq wore a kaftan.

Unknown to the robbers, plain-clothed policemen led by a Superintendent of Police had cordoned off the bank. Some other policemen were in the banking hall.

According to the source, "the suspected robbers were swiftly rounded up and whisked to the police headquarters in GRA, Ikeja."

The source said one of the suspects confessed that they had ordered for more arms and ammunition from their syndicate in Benin City, to withstand any resistance during their operation.

The suspects confessed that the bank official gave them money to procure the arms and ammunition.

Commissioner of Police Umar Manko, who confirmed the arrests, said the command was investigating the matter.

Manko said 11 suspects including senior members of the bank’s staff.

"We have arrested 11 of the suspects including five members of staff of the bank. If my men had not intervened early, the suspects would have hatched their plan. We are still investigating the matter; we shall prosecute them as soon as investigation is concluded. Let me use this opportunity to sound a note of warning to criminals in the state that we are watching them wherever they are. They cannot hide for too long," Manko said.