DPO and 3 other cops are slain as police apprehend fleeing robbers and shoot 2 of them

Two of the fleeing armed robbers who attacked some banks in Otukpo, Benue State, on Friday were captured and slain by Nigerian Police officers from the Benue State Command.

As you may remember, armed robbers broke into many banks, including First Bank, United Bank for Africa, Zenith Bank, Access, and Stanbic Bank, and made off with an undisclosed sum of cash.

During the heist, the criminals killed many people in addition to some police officers.

According to a statement made by the state police command on Saturday, security personnel caught up with the robbers along the Otukpo-Taraku route and killed two of the escaping bandits.

Four police officers, including the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Otukpo division, were killed during the robbery event, according to a statement made on Saturday by the Police Public Relations Officer, Catherine Anene.

Anene stated, “On October 20, 2023, at approximately 1615 hours, armed robbers simultaneously broke into Access, First, Zenith, UBA, and Stanbic bank Otukpo.

“CSP. John Adikwu, the Otukpo Divisional Police Officer, and other police teams in the region engaged them in a gun dwell but were unable to stop their onslaught on the banks.

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“More police teams were sent to Otukpo in cooperation with other security personnel to help stabilise the situation and stop the robbers from fleeing.

“The bandits who were stopped near the Otukpo-Taraku route engaged the officers in a gunfight, which resulted in the deaths of two of the criminals.

“Other gang members left their cars unattended and fled into the bush, where they are being pursued by the police.

“Three more police officers and the DPO who was shot in the stomach have all been identified as deceased at the hospital.

Other people who were hurt in the bank have been sent to the hospital for treatment, according to the report. The statement also said that the investigation was still ongoing.

(TRIBUNE)