Video : Otukpo bank robbery: ‘’How armed robbers were kitted in police uniform and welcomed by slain DPO’’

---As residents appeal  to acting  IGP Egbetokun t o create Mobile Unit in Otukpo, urge  government ,  police , army  to boost security in the town.

 

 

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As more revelations are emerging  following the daring bank robbery operation that shook Otukpo town to its core  on Friday October 20^th., the traumatized  residents of the town   are appealing to the acting Inspector general of Police IGP Kayode Egbetokun to urgently approve a police Mobile Unit in Otukpo town. The residents also call on the Nigerian president Mr. Bola Tinubu and the Army authority to boost security in Idoma land and Otukpo Town so as to forestall such ugly situation.

While the residents are still in shock and traumatized over the incident which is said to be the first time such daylight armed robbery was reported  in the  town  leading to the murder of   policemen including the Divisional Police Officer of the Otukpo Division CSP  John Adikwu ,  female police Inspectors , a Constable,   a female police identified as Emmanuell,  vigilantee. were killed. Ten civilians were said to have be killed by the armed  robbers who attacked five banks. Six persons, One of them identified as Emmanuel Uche were allegedly shot dead by the armed robbers in United Bank for Africa UBA.

An account of how the bank robbery allegedly took place was related by a police personnel ‘’ They (armed robbers) were dressed and kitted with police uniform. They came in a police Anti-robbery squad Hilux van; they visited the DPO as the Anti-robbery squad normally does once in a while. As the DPO and other personnel came out to receive them (armed robbers)   as usual, they (armed robbers) began to open fire. We lost three women Inspectors, one newly pass out Constable whom was just a year in service. The DPO was shot and while rushing him to the hospital, he gave up the ghost. The armed robbers attacked the station and many arms and ammunition were robbed before they had  the guts of attacking other places with full temerity’’.

 

Another source stated that the armed robbers after killing the police men and women and carting the rifles went to the banks and started their operation without any challenge and they operated for over one hour in the banks. They were said to have used explosives to blow up the doors of the banks and the vaults.

 

A source who claimed to be an eyewitness said ‘’ The armed robbers operated for over two hours unhindered. Those guys had superior weapons and  they use some explosives. The armed robbers came prepared. It was a well planned and executed armed robbery. They had sophisticated weapons and others they took from the station. Obviously, they have seen the loop holes in the security architecture of the town that only one police station serves the town . The banks are on one road and the police station is the only security outfit protecting the banks, churches, schools, markets, residents, villages  and visitors to the town. The armed robbers have studied these security loopholes of the town and by attacking and killing the DPO and other police men and women; they had nobody to stop them from raiding the banks. The armed robbers  started from Zenith,to Stanbic IBTC,Access bank, UBA,so sad. Six persons were killed in  UBA alone.The banks were under a  siege for over an hour.  Our cousin uncle Baba’s  son among  the persons killed . The armed  robbers  are  young men. Having their killing and looting spree, they fled the town but  were trapped in the bush at Entina village in a bid to escape.

One Eneche , Eneche said  ‘’ Ten persons apart from the policemen were also killed in that robbery . It is painful but we need to let the world know what befell us in  Otukpo . W shall bury our dead , but we shall never bury the pain this Friday brought our way. One  Emmanuel Uche finished NYSC earlier this year and got a job with UBA, Otukpo a week ago. He lost his life at UBA  bank robbery’’

 

 

Another source   further narrated how the armed robbers operated and were chased into a bush.

 

‘’ They fled after the robberies  and  they  abandoned the  Hilux they fled with  from Otukpo in a bush.  A  Matrix car was taken from First Bank, it belongs to a female staff. These are the two vehicles  they abandoned here in the bush . How did they get into Otukpo town ? ‘’

 

A video making the rounds online shows four suspected armed robbers who allegedly carried out the robbery incident at the banks  in a vehicle and they  are young but  have been stripped to their pants and badly beaten up .

According to one meddycyndemouthpiece, the fleeing  armed robbers who succeeded  are wounded and are fleeing in different directions with their stolen load.He added that the hilux van is stained with blood but there was no sign of the stolen money.

A source said ‘’ The armed robbers  are well organised. The vehicles they used to escape were abandoned in a bush. I am sure that they have an onward vehicle that received the stolen money and other armed robbers that escaped’’

An eye witness said  ‘’ They came in an old Toyota vehicle and many motorbikes. They couldn't have relied on the Hilux to move far, which means their main vehicle was within the area they operated. Soldiers ambushed  them, which  made them divert into the bush where they abandoned the  two vehicles. While they had a field day for close to two hours inside Otukpo, the Army had mobilized, and laid ambush at Otukpo/Agatu, Otukpo/Otukpa, and Otukpo/Makurdi roads.  The soldiers  at the  Otukpo/Makurdi  road  neutralized the fleeing armed robbers  in an  ambush. If the soldiers  had entered the town to engage them, the casualty figures would have been higher. The fleeing armed robbers  cannot move far with the stolen money which is weighty, and they had gunshot wounds. They are within that bush where they abandoned these two vehicles. I don't think the Army's ambush allowed them to get to their intended vehicles, which made them divert into the bush. If you ask me, I will tell you that the later part of their outing was a failed operation’’

 

 

A 65 year old woman who simply identified herself as Mama Rebecca while reacting to the armed robbery in the town  said ‘’ I was born and brought up in the town of Otukpo. I have never seen or heard such a thing ever happened in this town. I am in shock and I’m very sad over the killings. Police authority should boost security in the town so that such an ugly situation will not happen again’’

A businessman who simply identified himself as  Mr. Jude said ‘’ This is a total failure of policing in the town. It shows how insecure our police divisions are. It’s a shame that this kind of thing can be attempted, executed and the police were caught napping and because of this many innocent lives were lost. This is not the time to be unserious with policing work. Our police must be well ready for any security breach considering what is happening in the world’’.

 

Another resident said ‘’ I have lived in this town for forty  years. I feel sympathy for the murdered policemen and the civilians. I strongly feel that this incident is a wake up call  that Otukpo needs more police formations and military base  in the town. This town has increased in population and economic activities but it is sad that the security of the town has not been taken seriously and now we can see the result of lack of planning when a city is growing. This is the only police formation I know about in this town, the police, the army and the government should not delay in providing more security outfits in the town because the huge  presence of security operatives and security formation could have hindered this kind of thing from happening . The armed robbers couldn’t have dared this at all  if they know the town is not porous .So we are appealing to government to boost the security in the town by giving us a mobile unit and more police stations that are well equipped, fenced in and the officers are given modern gadgets to work with.  ‘’

 

‘’ Residents in this town are familiar with  the operation of vigillantee groups. But as we can see the town has grown beyond the job vigilante can handle. Sophisticated crimes are upon us and we cannot continue to live as if we are in the old days. There is no doubt that the security in the town must be improved urgently. We need a Mobile Unit in this town and the IGP has the power to approve one. So we are appealing to him to do so for us urgently and also the army presence should be felt in this town’’   Another resident  who simply  identified himself as Agada said .