The Police Command in Benue has confirmed the death of four police officers including a Divisional Police Officer in course of the Friday bank robbery attacks in Otukpo.
Police however said it has killed two armed robbers suspected to be behind the robbery attacks on five banks in Otukpo Local Government Area (LGA) of the state.
SP Sewuese Anene, Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) of the command, disclosed this in a statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday in Makurdi.
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 neutralised 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 stabilising 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 recieving treatment at the hospital.
”Investigation is still ongoing to unravel all those invloved in the criminal act”, she said.
NAN reports that the suspected robbers carried out their nefarious activities in the banks for about two hours uninterrupted.(NAN)
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