THE Kogi State Police Command has launched a manhunt for perpetrators of a bank robbery in the Ankpa area of the state on Tuesday.
This was disclosed in a statement released on Wednesday by the Public Relations Officer of the Kogi State Police Command, William Ovye-Aya.
Ovye-Aya said the State Commissioner of Police Edward Egbuka has ordered an investigation into the incident.
“The State Commissioner of Police Edward Egbuka has ordered the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of the Investigation Department (SCID) to begin investigations and unravel the remote and immediate causes of the act and trail the hoodlums with a view to apprehending them to face justice,” the statement said.
Confirming the incident, the state commissioner of police Egbuka said branches of United Bank of Africa (UBA), First Bank and Zenith Bank in Ankpa Local Government Area of Kogi State were robbed on Tuesday afternoon.
He explained that immediately after the alert of the robbery was received, the Anti-Robbery Squad quickly led a team of tactical operatives to the area for an on-the-spot assessment.
Also, the commissioner of police directed the deployment of additional operational assets, consisting of operatives of the Police Mobile Force, Counter Terrorism Unit, Quick Response Unitband State Intelligence Bureau in synergy with other security agencies, to restore normalcy in the area.
Kogi State police spokesperson Ovye-Aya added, “The good news is that the police personnel on duty both at the station and the banks, who quickly recovered from the sudden attack, gallantly repelled the attackers and forced them to flee, some into nearby bushes, while others fled with their vehicles.
“The robbers abandoned three vehicles used for the operation in their haste to escape, some of them with bullet wounds.”
According to the police spokesperson, the commissioner of police has urged residents of Ankpa and adjoining communities to be on the lookout and report anybody seen with bullet wounds to the police or any other security forces nearest to them.
Egbuka assured that the Command was committed to working in synergy with other security agencies and patriotic stakeholders in the onslaught against criminals.
He also urged members of the public to go about their lawful businesses as they continued to collaborate with the police and other security agencies.
The Kogi State police chief further appealed to the public for credible and timely information on the activities of criminal elements in their environs.
According to reports, the armed robbers operated for more than an hour while shooting sporadically during the bank robbery.
About four people, including a Divisional Police Officer, were said to have been killed by the armed robbers during the operation.
The Kogi State police spokesperson did not respond to calls and text messages when contacted by The ICIR for further details of the bank robbery.
Ijeoma Opara is a journalist with The ICIR. Reach her via [email protected] or @ije_le on Twitter.