Molly Kilete, Abuja
The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Ibrahim Idris, has ordered the immediate deployment of an additional three units each of the Police Mobile Force (PMF) to Taraba and Kwara States to enhance security in the two states and prevent further deadly attacks.
The directive comes as the Nigeria Police Force headquarters in Abuja says it has arrested 8 principal suspects in connection with the Offa Bank Robbery, and 12 other suspects directly responsible for the recent killings in Taraba State.
Force Public Relations Officer Moshood Jimoh, who made this known in a statement, said that the IGP has placed Commissioners of Police and Police personnel nationwide on alert, and has directed a 24-hour Intelligence gathering and crime prevention/police visibility patrol of crisis spots, flashpoints and other vulnerable areas in their Commands throughout the country.
Suspected armed robbers had only last Thursday killed scores of innocent citizens during a bank robbery in Offa, Kwara State, as gunmen also attacked and killed innocent villagers at Donga and Bali Local Government Areas of Taraba State. Part of a pattern of increasing murders by firearms and other means across the country in recent months.
Jimoh, in the statement said:
“The Inspector General of Police (IGP) Ibrahim Idris, concerned with the banks robbery attack in Offa, Kwara State, on Thursday, 5th April, 2018, and the recent killings on 4th & 7th April, 2018 in Donga and Bali Local Government Areas of Taraba State that resulted in the loss of innocent lives, carting away of huge sums of money and destruction of properties worth millions of naira in the two (2) states, has ordered the deployment of three (3) Police Mobile Force Units, a high-powered police investigation team, Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) with ten (10) Crew members and Anti-Robbery equipments to Kwara State and three (3) additional Police Mobile Force units to Taraba State, to beef up security in the two (2) states, prevent further attacks, arrest perpetrators and carry out discreet investigation into the Offa bank robbery and the recent killings in Donga and Bali LGAs of Taraba State.
“The deployments, which have arrived the two (2) States, will cover Offa LGA and its environs and other vulnerable points in Kwara State, while the deployment of the three (3) Police Mobile Force (PMF), in addition to the five (5) PMF units recently deployed to Taraba State, will cover Donga, Bali, Lau, Gassol, Karim Lamido LGAs and other flash points in the State. The Police teams will carry out intelligence gathering, raids of identified criminal spots/flashpoints, stop-and-search operations, visibility and confidence building patrols, arrest of perpetrators and further investigations into the incidents.
“Furthermore, the immediate intervention and preliminary investigation carried out by the high-powered police investigation team deployed by the IGP working in synergy with the State Criminal Intelligence and Investigation Department in the two (2) Commands resulted in the arrest of eight (8) Principal Suspects in connection with the Offa bank robbery and twelve (12) suspects directly responsible for the recent killings in Donga and Bali Local Government Areas of Taraba State. Also recovered were seven (7) AK-47 rifles, four (4) locally-made revolver pistols and thirty (30) rounds of AK-47 ammunition, seven (7) operational vehicles of the armed robbers and assailants in the two (2) Incidents.
“In Donga and Bali LGAs attacks, the following suspects were arrested for being part of those responsible for the killings of innocent people. They have confessed and admitted to the various criminal roles they played in the commission of the crime and will be arraigned in court on completion of investigation:
- Ali Runo
- Hassan Ruwo
- Chindo Umoru
- Yinusa Usman
- Shittu Usman
- Tervesee John
- Terse Joseph
- Victor Madu
- Theophilos Ajee
- Hasama George
- Tervise Boniface
- Tijie Evarso
“In the Offa incident, where nine (9) policemen and eight (8) other persons were killed, the names of the seven (7) suspects and the additional one (1) suspect – bringing to eight (8) the number of suspects arrested in connection with the incident who have admitted to the various criminal roles they played in the banks robbery attacks and also assisting police investigation into the incident – are being withheld but will be disclosed after the arrest of the remaining suspects and completion of investigation into the crime.
“While the Nigeria Police Force deeply commiserates with the governments and peoples of Kwara and Taraba States over the recent killings, the Force calls for calm and support for the police personnel deployed to sustain the normalcy that has been restored in the affected States. The Force implores the people to be vigilant and security-conscious.
“They should promptly report suspicious acts or persons to the nearest police detachment or station for prompt action to avert untoward incidents.