House To Investigate Benue Robbery Attack

By Oduyemi Odumade

The House of Representatives has taken a decisive step in addressing the recent armed robbery attack and the killing of innocent Nigerians in Otukpo/Ohimini Federal Constituency of Benue State.

To this end, the House has called on the Nigerian Police, Department of State Services DSS, and other Security agencies to, as a matter of urgency, make an effort to arrest and prosecute the perpetrators of this heinous act.

The House also condemned in strong terms the gruesome and brutal killing of security personnel, bank officials, and other law-abiding members of the community while asking the government to increase the security architecture within the town and its environs to prevent recurrence.

These resolutions were in response to a motion on matters of urgent public importance, sponsored by Blessing Onuh.

In her lead debate, the Lawmaker informed the House that On October 20, a serene town, in Otukpo, Benue State, was attacked by a violent incursion by more than twenty heavily armed gunmen.

This attack resulted in the tragic loss of lives, including a vigilante and four security officers.

The assailants also targeted banks, leading to casualties among the civilians present and the theft of substantial sums of money.

She said the banks attacked were, Stanbic IBTC, Zenith, UBA, and First Bank, adding that several persons were killed in the bank premises and many others sustained injuries.

Onuh stressed that residents are currently traumatized by last Friday’s incident and feeling unsafe as the Security personnel of Otukpo Community, particularly the police and vigilantes are demoralized.

During the deliberations, Ahmed Jaha from Borno State labeled this as an act of terrorism and stressed the importance of ensuring such incidents do not occur in other parts of the country.

The Deputy Chairman of the House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Philip Agbese, expressed deep concern about the violence in Benue State and called on the nation’s security apparatus to enhance their responsiveness, citing the waning confidence of Nigerians in their ability to protect them.

The Speaker, Dr. Tajudeen Abbas, presiding over the session, referred the matter to the joint Committee on National Security, Police, and Army for further legislative action.

Edited By Grace Namiji