Following the bank robbery, and police station attack that claimed the lives of many in the Otukpo Local Government Area of Benue State mid-day 20 October 2023, the State Police Command has intercepted some suspects involved in the nefarious act while two of the suspected hoodlums were killed. This was revealed by the State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) SP Sewuese Anene in a statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday in Makurdi. The statement read in part, “On 20/10/2023 at about 1615hrs, armed robbers invaded Access, First, Zenith, UBA, and Stanbic Bank Otukpo simultaneously. She explained that a gang of armed robbers in a coordinated operation on Friday attacked branches of five different banks in Otukpo town.
The PPRO listed the affected banks to include, Access Bank, First Bank, Zenith Bank, United Bank for Africa (UBA), and Stanbic IBTC Bank. She said that men of the command engaged the suspects in a gun battle along Otukpo-Taraku road, adding that it neutralized two of the suspects in the process.
Anne added that other members of the criminal gang abandoned their vehicles and ran into the bush. “The Otukpo Divisional Police Officer, CSP John Adikwu, and his team in the area engaged the suspected robbers in a gun duel but were unable to prevent them from attacking the banks. “More police teams in collaboration with other security agents were later deployed to Otukpo to assist in stabilizing the area and prevent these robbers from escaping.
“The robbers were later intercepted along Otukpo-Taraku road by our men and engaged them in a gun duel. ”Two of the robbers died in the process, but other members of the gang abandoned their vehicles and escaped into the forest. ”We are still going after them,” she said.
Anene confirmed that the suspected criminals killed four police personnel during the robbery operation. “Our DPO in Otukpo 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 during the operation were currently receiving treatment at the hospital. ”Investigation is still ongoing to unravel all those involved in the criminal act”, she said.