Former minister of works, Dr Mike Onolememen, has charged the police in Edo State to quickly fish out the perpetrators of the brazen robbery attack that led to the death of many people in Uromi last Thursday.
Seven persons were shot dead as the robbers in their number blockaded the township roads and raided four banks including Zenith Bank, First Bank, Unity Bank and the United Bank for Africa (UBA), in broad daylight unchallenged and carting away an unspecified amount of money,
Speaking in Abuja on Sunday night, Onolememen, who is the Adolor of Uromi, observed that there was lack of adequate security in the town owing to the present policing nature, which he noted, centralizes its command.
He, therefore, called for a revisiting of the issuing of state policing to ensure that local authorities are able to take proactive charge of security in their jurisdictions.
According to him, precious lives were needlessly wasted because of the dastardly act fueled by lack of security.
Lamenting, the former minister said: “Several lives were lost aimlessly. I can’t continue to paint the gory pictures of dead bodies littering the streets in my mind. I’m simply shocked, traumatised and pained.
” What exactly could have been responsible for this inhumane and dastardly action, where even a pregnant woman’s life was cut short? How can we ever come to terms with this massacre?
“I wish to use this opportunity to call on the Edo state Commissioner of Police as well as the Inspector-General of Police to be swift in fishing out those behind the cowardly actions and bring them to book without delay.
“Perhaps, the situation may have been different if we have three levels of law enforcement at the local, state and federal levels all collaborating for law and order in our villages, towns and cities as obtained in most federations all over the world.
“It is time for the National Assembly to re-visit the legislation on the three-tier policing for Nigeria to check the rise of criminality in all parts of the country.”
Onolememen expressed his condolences with the Ojuromi of Uromi, His Royal Highness Anselm Aidenojie II, who he said had to go through this horrid and painful experience, saying: “Our prayers are with the families of the victims.”
The Nigerian Tribune reports that a day after the attack, the Edo Police Command confirmed that the sum of N34, 510,000 had been recovered from the coordinated robbery operation.
The Command, in a statement signed by its spokesman, Bello Kontongs, stated that the money was recovered from the abandoned operational vehicles used by the armed robbers at a bush in Ubiaja, Esan South-East LGA, a neighbouring council to Uromi.
The Command had said in the statement: “Today 25/02/2022 at about 0730 Operatives of the Edo state police command in conjunction with local Vigilantes accompanied by Chief John Odijie, the Oniha of Ubiaja led by the DPO Ubiaja acting on credible information that some vehicles suspected to have been used by armed Robbers in Uromi Bank Robbery Operations on the 24/02 /2022 were seen hidden in Oruen Quarters Bush of Ubiaja in Esan South East Local Government Area of Edo State.
“On receipt of the information, the Divisional Police Officer in charge of Ubiaja mobilized his men who during the bank robbery operations, police operatives blocked all the exit routes from in and out of Uromi town, together with the team immediately mobilise to the location and recovered the following vehicles and items; One Red Colour Camry car with Reg.No. EZA 105 KJA, One ash Colour Camry Car with Reg. No. KWL 19 DU, One Dark Ash colour corolla car with Reg. No. UBJ 734 SZ, One Lexus 330 car with Reg. No. AAA 973 FL, One Red Q. Link M/CYCLE With Reg. No. EZA 105 QN, One Red Day Long M/Cycle With Reg. No. ENU 204 QL, Two small bags containing women Items, one Union Bank ATM card and Cash Sum Thirty-four million, five hundred and ten thousand Naira only ( #34,510,000.00)”.
The statement added that “the Commissioner of Police Edo State Police Command, CP Philip Aliyu Ogbadu, while sympathising with the families of those who lost their lives in the unfortunate incident, promised not to relent until all those behind the attack are bought to face the full wrath of the law.”
