Commercial Banks in Ilesa, Ijebu Jesa and adjoining towns in Osun State hurriedly closed for business on Wednesday after an alarm that some hoodlums were attempting to force their way into one of the commercial banks in the towns.

There was confusion following the report, as many bank customers who were trying to make withdrawals at various Automated Teller Machine points fled, while banks shut their gates and prevented people from going in.

A worker at one of the banks said that the hoodlums were prevented from entering the affected bank by security agents.

The worker, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said all the banks closed their gates and ordered customers to leave their premises to forestall any security breach.

The robbery scare also forced banks in Osogbo, the state capital, to close almost the same time with their counterparts in Ijesa.

A customer of one of the banks in Osogbo, Adewale Olawuyi, told our correspondent that he was disappointed that the bank closed at 1.30pm when he went to make some transactions.

Olawuyi said security men attached to the bank told him that the workers had gone home because of the rumour that robbers were in Ilesa and that another gang would storm banks in Osogbo at the same time.

However, the Commissioner of Police in Osun State, Mr. Fimihan Adeoye, told our correspondent that it was a false alarm.