The Nigerian Police Force has attributed its delayed response to the recent bank robbery in Benue State to the challenges posed by bad roads and long distances. This response comes after reports of a bank robbery in Otukpo town, Benue State, where 11 people lost their lives, including police officers and a local councillor.
As previously reported by SaharaReporters, the armed robbers targeted four banks in Otukpo town, disarming the police officers stationed at the banks and wreaking havoc. The affected banks included Stanbic Bank, United Bank for Africa (UBA), Zenith Bank, and First Bank. The robbery took place simultaneously, and the criminals arrived at the banks at approximately 3:30 pm.
Speaking on the incident, the Police Public Relations Officer of the Benue State Police Command, SP Catherine Anene, explained that the delayed response was due to the challenging conditions faced by police personnel coming from other parts of the state. She stated that the bad road conditions and the considerable distance played a significant role in delaying the arrival of reinforcements to the scene.
“On October 20, 2023, at about 3:15 pm, the command received a call from the late Divisional Police Officer, Otukpo, that there was a robbery situation in Otukpo that seemed to be difficult for him and that he would be needing help. He said he didn’t think the division alone could handle it,” said SP Catherine Anene.
The command initiated efforts to mobilize officers within the Otukpo Area Command to provide support while waiting for reinforcements from other areas within the command. However, the time it took for the additional personnel to arrive was prolonged due to the challenging road conditions and considerable distances they had to cover.
Tragically, despite these efforts, communication with the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in Otukpo was lost, leaving authorities with limited information about the ongoing situation. Further investigations into the incident are ongoing, and the police force is working to address the issues surrounding the delayed response to such crises.