The National Commandant of Peace Corps of Nigeria (PCN) Dr. Dickson Ameh Akoh has condemned the dastardly massacre of innocent lives in a robbery incident on several new generation banks in Otukpo, Benue State last week.
He described the heinous crime as unwarranted, uncalled for and irritating and canvassed that all hands must be on deck by all arm of security agencies and the people to nib future occurrence in the bud.
In his reaction to the ugly incident in a statement in Abuja, Akoh recounted how similar incident of bank robbery in Otukpo led to the killing of some Police officers on duty in Ojali in cold blood some years ago.
While consoling the bereaved families and the Idoma Nation over the attack, he advocated for intense intelligence gathering and synergy among security agencies as panacea to the lingering security lapses that had left the area porous and often at the mercy of men of the underworld.
“Security men can achieve little if taken unawares in arms combat just as witnessed in this case. Perpetrators of such organized crime must have studied the terrain and the security gaps before striking”, he added.
He called on Idoma sons and daughters to be united in finding lasting solution to the security challenges in Benue South adding that no landmark development can be achieved without the security of lives and properties of the people.
Akoh who is the Oyachaba K’Idoma of Idoma land condemned the cold blood killing of a banker and Customers and also some Police officers, including the Divisional Police Officer DPO of Otukpo who lost their lives in line of duty while combating the criminals. He expressed condole to the families of the bereaved and ask God to console them.
According to him, ‘this is one attack too many that must be nipped in the bud so as to avert any of such occurrences in the future”.
While applauding the prompt responses of the men of the Nigeria Army, the Nigeria Police, the Department of State Services and the brave Idoma Youth for combating those criminals leading to the death of two of them, Akoh called on the various security Agencies to continue to synergies and not to relent in their efforts untill every one of those criminals are apprehended and severely punished for this crime against the peace loving people of Idoma land.
He called on the government to lay out programmes and activities that are geared towards the meaningful engagement of the Youth in productive ventures that would take then away from crime.