Senate says Otukpo bank robbery points to lack of intelligence

Patrick Abba Moro, the senator who represents the Benue South Senatorial District, has pointed the finger of blame at a lack of intelligence on the part of the security forces in Benue State for the tragic bank heist that occurred in Otukpo over the weekend.

According to reports, four civilians and the Otukpo Divisional Police Officer, John Adikwu, together with three other officers, were all killed by the daredevil robbers on Saturday, October 20.

The thieves also reportedly killed three other policemen within the bank premises.

Senator Moro questioned 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 after sponsoring a motion on the Senate floor titled “Otukpo Robbery Attack: Urgent Need for Investigation and Intervention.”

The motion was titled “Otukpo Robbery Attack: Urgent Need for Investigation and Intervention.” Senator Moro spoke with journalists after sponsoring the motion.

His words were as follows: “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 (Federal Roads Safety Corps), and the Department of State Services, all of them.”

They were completely unaware that sixty armed men traveling in two Hilux vehicles were on their way to occupy Otukpo.

Where exactly is all of this intelligence? When the attack took place, none of the agencies were able to contact one another in order to organize a counterattack.

In response to a question from a reporter about the significance 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 the majority of states at that time were unable to pay worker salaries and meet the basic needs of the people, and that an additional police wage bill could have overburdened the state governments.

He stated that this opposition was based on the fact that most states were unable to meet the basic needs of the people.

Earlier, when Senator Moro was presenting the motion, he stated that the alleged armed robbers ran their operation for more than an hour with little or no resistance while keeping the entire town hostage.

“In addition to the bloodletting, millions of naira were carted away from the banks, and arms and ammunition were taken from the police command,” he bemoaned. “The banks were robbed.”

In the resolutions that it passed, the Senate sent an urgent request to the Nigeria Police and any other relevant security agencies, requesting that they conduct an investigation into the events that led up to the invasion and the killings of innocent persons.

In addition, it strongly recommended that the relevant security authorities investigate the puzzling lapse in intelligence gathering and vigilance on the day of the invasion.

The Red Chamber also encouraged the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to come in as quickly as possible to offer relief supplies for the Otukpo Police Command’s rehabilitation. This was done in response to the Red Chamber’s request.