A man named Sodirudeen Rufai was arrested for attempting to set fire to the Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB) building in the Oke-Ilewo Area of Abeokuta, Ogun State, on Tuesday. According to reports, the suspect had complained that an unauthorized N500,000 was debited from his account, and he decided to set fire to the bank after his complaints were not addressed.
When the matter was reported, the Area Commander, Metro, Abeokuta, advised the man to allow the bank to follow its procedure to investigate the issue. However, the situation escalated after the bank informed the man that he had been defrauded. He returned to the bank with petrol, threatening to set the building on fire.
Bank customers and security staff managed to subdue Rufai before he could ignite the petrol. The bank’s Chief Security Officer handed him over to the police. Rufai has claimed that he took the action to attract the attention of the authorities regarding the issue with his money.
The police stated that the man would be charged with attempted suicide and murder because his actions could have resulted in fatalities. While the man may have had a legitimate grievance, his approach to addressing the issue was dangerous and illegal.
This incident highlights the importance of addressing complaints and disputes through legal and peaceful means, rather than resorting to extreme actions that can harm innocent people and property.