The Police in Benue State on Saturday confirmed the Otukpo Divisional Police Officer, CSP. John Adikwu and three other operatives killed during the armed robbery raid on commercial banks in Otukpo town of the state.
The armed robbers caused stir in the heart of Otukpo residents when they invaded some banks in the area.
Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) SP. Catherine Anene, in a statement, also confirmed that five banks were robbed simultaneously.
Anene added that in a hot pursuit of the outlaws afterwards, security operatives gunned down two of the armed robbers while still on the trail of other who abandoned their vehicle and ran into the bush along Otukpo – Taraku axis.
“On 20/10/2023 at about 1615hrs, armed robbers invaded Access, First, Zenith, UBA and Stanbic bank Otukpo simultaneously.
“The Otukpo Divisional Police Officer, CSP. John Adikwu and other Police teams in the area engage them in a gun dwell but were unable to prevent their attack on the banks.
“More police teams in collaboration with other security agents have been deployed to Otukpo to assist in stabilising the area and prevent these robbers from escaping.
“The robbers who were intercepted along Otukpo-Taraku road engaged officers in a gun duel and two of the robbers died in the process. Other gang members abandoned their vehicles and escaped into the forest area and are been chased by the police.
“The DPO who sustained a gunshot injury on his stomach and three other police officers have been confirmed dead at the hospital. Other persons who sustained injuries in the bank have been moved to the hospital for treatment,” the PPRO explained.
She noted that investigation into the matter had commenced but however silent on the number of civilians killed during the robbery incident.
Meanwhile, one of the military personnel who engaged the armed robbers on their escape route confided that security couldn’t do much in engaging the daredevils while the illicit operation went on because of the crowd of innocent people at the scene.
“We waited for them on their escape route and engaged them, they had to abandon their vehicle towards Taraku town. We pursued them into the bush and fell two of them. We apprehended one alive.”
Meanwhile, Governor Hyacinth Alia, has condemned the armed robbery attacks on some commercial banks in Otukpo town.
Alia in a statement by his spokesman, Tersoo Kula, described the robbery incident as an affront on the state, especially that it took place at the exact time the security Council meeting was in progress at Government House in Makurdi.
The governor sympathised with the families of those who were gruesomely murdered by the robbers during the robbery.
He said, “It is an unfortunate development that people who were on duty, especially police officers, were shot and killed in cold blood by those mindless robbers.
“But they cannot get away with this. Already, security agencies are on their trail and must apprehend and bring them to justice”.
Alia therefore called on the people of the state to be vigilant and always endeavour to report suspicious movements around them all the time.