Senator Patrick Aba Moro, representing Benue South Senatorial District, has blamed the deadly bank robbery attack in Otukpo on a lack of intelligence by the security agencies in Benue State.
The attack, which took place on Saturday, October 20, claimed the lives of four policemen and four civilians. The robbers also carted away millions of naira in cash and arms and ammunition from the police command.
Speaking to journalists on Tuesday after sponsoring a motion, titled “Otukpo Robbery Attack: Urgent Need for Investigation and Intervention” on the floor of the Senate, Senator Moro wondered how many armed robbers in a convoy of vehicles and motorcycles could have entered the town and operated for about an hour without intelligence and counterattacks from security operatives.
He said, “We have several security checkpoints; there is the police, the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps have joined the roadblock thing, we also have the road safety and the Department of State Services, all of them. None of them got a hint that 60 armed men in two Hilux vehicles were coming to invade Otukpo. Where is the intelligence? When the attack happened, none of the agencies could reach out to mobilise a counterattack.”
Senator Moro also spoke on the importance of state police for community policing.
He explained that his initial opposition to the call for the creation of state police was based on the fact that most states at that time were unable to pay workers salaries and meet the basic needs of the people, and that an additional police wage bill could have overburdened the state governments.
However, he said that the Otukpo bank robbery had shown the need for state police, as the federal police had failed to protect the people.
The Senate, in its resolutions, urged the Nigeria Police and other relevant security agencies to immediately investigate the circumstances surrounding the invasion and the deaths of innocent citizens.
It further urged the security agencies to unravel the mystery of the lack of intelligence and alertness on the day of the invasion.
