From TONY OSAUZO, Benin
No fewer than 10 persons, including three soldiers were shot dead in Auchi on Monday evening in a coordinated robbery attack on four banks which threw the polytechnic town into pandemonium with residents taking the incident as an invasion on the community.
The attackers had reportedly struck at about 6 p.m. in the melee that lasted for about three hours, by first attacking the Auchi Area Command and the Auchi Divisional Headquarters of the Nigerian Police, both along Jattu Road where buildings were destroyed and a patrol van packed opposite the area command was bombed.
The gunmen were also said to have launched attack on the private homes of soldiers along Warrake Road in the town, damaging the Amoured Personnel Carrier positioned in the area in an apparent move to demobilize the security agents from giving them resistance.
Thereafter, the gunmen, who were said to have arrived the town in three Toyota Camry cars and a bus, reportedly launched simultaneous attacks on four banks, namely First Bank, situated along Otaru Road and three new generation banks, Ecobank, AccessBank and GTBank, along Polytechnic Road with dynamites and bombs which they used to gain entrance into the premises and vaults of the banks. Most of the dead victims who were identified as Okada riders were found along Igarra and Jattu roads.
Among the victims were 16 year-old Khadijat Musa, a yam seller from Kogi State and an unidentified young man who were rushed to the Auchi Central Hospital, where the young man reportedly died. Speaking to journalists, the Chief Medical Director of the hospital, Dr Jude Omoregie explained that two pellets were deposited in Khadijat’s body.
He also confirmed that three soldiers were brought in dead to the hospital. Narrating her ordeal, Khadijat said she was on a commercial motorcycle near First Bank when they saw one of the attackers, adding, “I greeted him good evening and he shot at us. The bike-man died and I was rushed here.”
Following the incident, soldiers yesterday morning blocked all entry and exit routes which resulted in heavy traffic jam along the Benin-Okenne-Abuja Road, as travelers at border of Okpella near Okenne coming from Abuja and others near Avielle coming from Benin City were stranded for hours.
Meanwhile, Edo State Deputy Governor, Dr. Pius Odubu, accompanied by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Professor Julius Ihonvbere, Majority Leader of the state house of assembly, Philip Shaibu including the Acting Commissioner of Police, Muhammed Hurdi, representative of the Brigade Commander, 4 Brigade of the Nigerian Army, Director State Security Service (SSS)Tukur Bakori, yesterday afternoon visited the affected areas.
Speaking at the palace of the Otaru of Auhci, Alhaji Haliru Momoh, Odubu called on the Inspector General of Police to reinforce the police personnel and equipment in the area. “We have seen things for ourselves, we have seen the damage done to the police divisional police headquarter and the Area Commanders office and four banks.
It is clear that these people came with one intenton, to wreck maximum havoc; they were dare devil armed robbers who were very blood thirsty, sadistic in approach. We want to assure you sir that this government of Edo state will spare no efforts in ensuring that these people are traced, arrested and charged to court. On our part we will do everything humanly possible to assist the security agencies to do a good job at that.
“I want to charge on behalf of the government of Edo state the Inspector General of Police to deploy enough men and more modern materials to ensure that everything is done to trace these people down, we want to assure you that Edo state can never and will never be safe haven for criminals. We will ensure that these people are gotten and that they are prosecuted.
Our people of Auchi should not be despaired because by the special grace of God it is a passing phase as the security agencies; the SSS, Police and Army have assured us that they will track these people down.” Also speaking, Edo State Acting Commissioner of Police, Mohammed Hurdi, told journalists that he did not suspect terrorist attack, saying that the number of dead have been accounted.
“I have visited all the places and the extent of the damage is what matters but for the destructive part of it that is where the police station, the Area Command and other banks were affected. “These places where destroyed by the dynamite they threw but in terms of loss, it was only one bank they were able to gain access to that is where we have some loss of amount which is yet to be ascertained.
There were lives that were lost, we are yet to determine the number of persons that died at the moment. “As far as we are concerned for now it is robbery and nothing more than that because they were after money not even after money, not even after arms, even when they attacked the polce station and the Area Command, nothing happened to the armoury it was intact, so they wanted to demobilise the police so that they can have access to the vault of the bank so that they can have access to money.”
He explained that the “police were not caught unawares, because if you looked at the time they got there, that was the time when the police were changing over duty and some of them were praying, others were taking over duty form to now go on night patrol, that was the time they attacked.”
At the time of filing this report, normalcy was gradually returning to the town, but many residents who are still scared were said to have locked themselves in their houses, just as many commercial businesses, including banks did not open for business yesterday.j
Gov OSHIMOLE , God will help u to apprehend all those that partake in this violent robbery in your dormain. Pls serious efforts should be put in place to ensure that the whole idiots are brought to book.
The insecurity in this country is geting out of hands, if our security men can not stop this nonsence is it the armless civilian that will stop them? God help us
FOR DAILY JOKES DIRECT ON UR WALL,CLICK THE FOLLOWING LINK AND LIKE THE PAGE!
CLICK HERE
https://m.facebook.com/profile.php?id=302084179842197&refid=5
Very Clean with Full Options Blackberry 9800 Torch1 from RIM ,Canada @ a cheap price Per unit and for bulk buyer price goes down. 0-8-0-9-8-9-9-6-9-0-3
The problem is the government, it has fail on his duties to provide equity and justice, instead the politician and the executive in the past and present regime of PDP are nothing but thiefs, Armed robbers, criminals, saboteurs, mass looters, and 419. Nigeria need a strong president who will prosecute them within 24hrs as exmple to his citizen withot fear. More than 5Gov, 21 serving sen 4House rep, lots petroleum ministry and Fed Govt contractor, before they use their private Jet. Which can never do cos his Godfathers and sponsors …are victim.!
Police why were u poeple not ontop of the situation as always be?
Reading through this article i found out that the robbers attacking private homes of soldiers 2)Amoured personnal carrier demobilized 3)Police were cought unaware 4) The good Time and Planning 5)Attacking police station and Area command 6)finally the use of dynamite all the above points to the simple FACT that these so call dare devil armed robbers are all boys and men of both police and army forces ,this is an issue of …na them them…What effect has blocked entry and exit routes got to do with this situation?
Become a member of Netcontacts today and be paid N1500 for each person u invite to register as member also, Netcontacts business is all over the country, it has changed the lives of so many Nigerian citizens financialy, i encourage u to embrace it & make tremendeous benefits, i also assure u that Netcontacts has the potential, ability & everythin it takes to change ur life financialy, you can make N3,000- N6,000 on daily basis, but best on the effort/hardwork of inviting, for information about Netcontacts click here & register to get started http://www.netcontacts.com.ng/invitation/?invitationcode=329899355 i wish u the best beyong success. GOODLUCK
Is unfortunate all organizeD crimeS in this country are successful. This very criminals are they the Boko Haram or BAKASSI Boys or OPC? Who will tell me? Please criminal is criminal whether they are hausas, yorubas or igbos or ijaws or any other tribe. All nigerian tribes have those criminals in their mix. We should stop abusing ourselves especially our major religions that provided code of conduct to us. Most times when Boko Haram carried out their nefarious activities our southern and christian brothers started abusing Islam and muslims. Boko Haram has nothing to do with Islam. Allah said in the Quran that whoever killed one human being his punishment will be as if he has killed the whole of humanity and verse versa, if you save one life as if you have save the whole of humanity.
The situation has been terrible 2 we d residents of Auchi. The robbers achieved their aim and left uninterrupted. Thank God 4 sparing our lives til this moment.
We have to be honest with ourselves about de situation of de armed robery in de country. If a nation refused to find gainful employment for his young ones, that nation will never know peace in his life. Peace will never rain in this country until our elected people start taking to create jobs for young school leavers. What can u say about a young man who used two third of his or life to gained certificate n at de end of de day can not find any job. People has to survive. De only solution to this trend of armed robberies is for de govt to provide jobs. Instead of de govt to invest in job creation,all they want is to chop our money. A man or a nation that disregard de rules n regulation of our heavenly father will never see or receive de bless of our God. We all must unite together in order vote this useless n clueless PDP out of power, it’s de only way out of this mess we are inn. Simplem
Killing innocent people to cater away money,wouldnt you die dont worry soon the law of Karma will visit you. Click here now without paying any dime http://www.socialpaycheck.com.do it now !!!
You can make real legitimate income on the
internet today and change ur financial
story; become a member of
Netcontacts and be paid N1500 for
each person u invite to register.
Netcontacts has changed the lives of so many Nigerians financially. I therefore
urge u today to embrace this opportunity and make
lots of benefits. Click here to register! http://www.netcontacts.com.ng/?invitationcode=5430717285
This reminds us of Anini era.
Shame 2 nigerian police,the rubbery must ve lasted for an hour or 30 mins,what were the police doing @that moment.we dont ve police in this country bcos none of them its ready to take a risk even if you increase there allowances and salary,yet they keep geting promoted, promotion without killing a rat, its high time federal goverment puts a stop the nonesense promotion to nigerian police excpt on merit if a police man kill or curt an arm rubber or boko haram befor he or she can be promoted,not minding if its a junior police officer and again the big tommy sugar daddy officer that can not run or move there body shuld resign from police for active young able men.
If this attark happen in d north,people wil said it was boko haram,now who can xplain dis.
The attack was terrible