Armed robbers who struck at the two banks at the Dantokpa market in Cotonou, capital of Benin, Friday made away with FCFA 399 million, an official source said Monday. The criminals who stormed the two banks using dynamite, had managed to destroy all the safes to steal FCFA 352 million at ECOBANK and FCFA47 million at Diamond Bank. The robbery led to the killing of six people while 20 others were wounded and a sizeable property damaged. Reacting to the incident, the Benin government suspended operations at the two banks until further notice and set up a commission of enquiry. The thieves entered the market early, shooting in the air to cause panic among people who were inside and around the shopping centre, the biggest in West Africa. The two banks had escaped a robbery attempt 1 April.
