By Ralph Omololu Agbana.
- Visits Crime Scene, Says Perpetrators, Sponsors of Bank Robbery, Killings Are Terrorists, Soon To Be Brought To Book
- Says Criminals Explore Bad Kabba-Egbe-Ilorin Road, Plans Afoot to Fix the Road Through Joint Efforts of Kogi Govt, NASS Members in Conjunction with Fed Min of Works
The senator representing Kogi West Senatorial District, Smart Adeyemi has said that perpetrators of the brutal killing of eight officers and men of the police during a bank robbery in Isanlu Community, Kogi State on June 4 are terrorists that will soon all be identified and punished accordingly.
The senator’s comment came on the heel of the arrest last week of six members of the armed gangs in Abeokuta, Ogun State.
Seven days ago, Inspector-General of Police Special Anti Robbery Squad (SARS) said its men arrested six persons in Abeokuta, Ogun State capital in connection with the robbery incident in Isanlu.
It was gathered that luck ran out on the criminals as they attempted to lodge part of the stolen cash with a bank in Abeokuta with the wraps on the Naira notes showing First Bank, Isanlu branch stamps.
Armed robbers numbering about 25 had invaded Isanlu community in Yagba East local government council, Kogi State killing eight Police officers and also invaded a bank.
The fully armed robbers during the robbery attacked the joint divisional police station and area command headquarters in Isanlu killing every officer on duty including the DPO while another group attacked the branch of one of the first generation banks in the community with dynamite, killing a civilian reportedly through stray bullet.
Senator Adeyemi who spoke during his condolence visit to the the Agbana of Isanlu, Oba Moses Etombi in his palace and the police area command headquarters, Isanlu, scene of the crime identified the bad condition of the Kabba-Egbe-Ilorin road as a major plank leveraged on by criminals to operate freely in the area, saying plans are afoot to fix the road with a joint efforts of Governor Yahaya Bello and members of the National Assembly from Kogi West.
He disclosed that the joint efforts by the government and security agencies led to the arrest of six members of the criminal gangs while investigations continued to apprehend and punish their sponsors no matter how highly placed.
“The call them armed robbers but I call them terrorists. Only terrorists operate the way they operated. I am happy to note that some of them have been apprehended and will be brought to book together with their sponsors. I am happy to note that we have a government that is committed to the security of lives and property under the leadership of Governor Yahaya Adoza Bello. As I am coming I meditated about the security situation in Nigeria; I do not know of any government in the past in Kogi State that has committed a lot of resources towards security and safety of lives and property like the present government has done. Kogi State is strategically located, bordered by nine states and that makes it a challenge but within limited resources I think this government has tried”, he said, “What happened in Isanlu is unfortunate and is under investigation. The government is working with security agencies that the terrorists are apprehended and punished in accordance with the law. They shall know no peace for the rest of their lives. I commiserate with your royal highness, and families of the victims with the assurance that government is working hard to ensure this does not happen again.
“If we had a good road, it will have been difficult for the gangs to succeed but this road is a federal road. In 2013 I got it awarded and construction commenced but due to one mistake or the other, today, we are back where we were before. Last week, Governor Yahaya Bello was in touch with the federal ministry of works on this very road. I can tell you that this road will soon receive federal attention. By the Grace of God, with the support from the state government and the pushing by those of us in the national assembly, in the next two months we will start talking about next year’s budget, I will make sure that this road will be back in national budget for construction”.
The monarch Oba Etombi thanked the Senator and his entourage for the show of solidarity. The monarch expressed joy over the news of the apprehension of members of the criminal gang that attacked his domain saying “I want to thank the government for the quick, record intervention, that is the arrest of the criminal gangs within a period of two weeks. I am smiling but I will only be laughing when these wicked people are brought to justice”.
The area commander and lone survivor of the attack on the twin police area command headquarters and divisional police office, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Okoye told Senator Adeyemi and his entourage, who included the Security Adviser to the governor, Commodore Jerry Omodara (rtd), Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Mrs Folashade Ayoade, Commissioners for Finance, Education and Environment and Senior Special Assistants on Security in charge of Yagba East, Yagba West and Mopamuro, Juwon Abdulwakil Sule, Tade Oshaloto and Moses Sunday David Alumo respectively, that the armed gangs operated for two hours.
