The House of Representatives has resolved to investigate the recent armed robbery in Otukpo, Benue, which led to the deaths of some policemen.
This followed the adoption of a motion of urgent public importance by Blessing Onuh (PDP, Benye) at the plenary on Tuesday.
Presenting the motion, Onuh said that the primary purpose of the government was the security and welfare of the citizens.
On October 20, Otukpo, a relatively peaceful town in Benue State, was invaded by suspected armed gangs numbering over 20.
She said the gang held the community under siege for over two hours, wreaking havoc on the community using rocket launchers, dynamites, AK-47 rifles, and other sophisticated weapons.
She said that the invaders started by attacking the vigilance group, which was the first line of homeland security.
She said they proceeded to the Otukpo police station, killing the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) and three other female police officers.
“While the attack on the police station was ongoing, other members of the gang were busy attacking four commercial banks simultaneously, killing and carting away huge sums of money.
“The banks attacked include IBTC, Zenith, UBA, and First Bank. Several people were killed on the bank premises and many others sustained gunshot injuries,” she said, stressing that the residents were traumatised by the attack, as they felt unsafe even after the attack.
The House unanimously condemned the robbery and the killing that took place during the incident and urged the police, Department of State Services (DSS) and other security agencies to make efforts to arrest and prosecute the perpetrators of the robbery.
The House also urged the government to, as a matter of urgency, deploy additional security agents to secure the town and its environs to prevent the recurrence.
