BY SIMON EBEGBULEM
BENIN—GOVERNOR Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State has called on the Inspector-General of Police to investigate how criminals sacked the Police Area Command and Divisional Police Station, freed inmates and held Auchi town in Edo North hostage for over three hours with no response from the police.
The governor, who made the call yesterday during an inspection of First Bank, Access Bank, Ecobank, soldiers’ quarters and police formations attacked by bandits in Auchi, said there was need for the police to do a soul-searching to see if policemen compromised the security of the town.
Oshiomhole said: “To think that a police station with arms could be attacked and the police could not gun down one criminal gives cause for worry.
“I was not happy that the police had to park the Armoured Personnel Carrier behind the Area Commander’s office instead of being at strategic locations in Auchi town. It shows that the police are not using the funds given to them maximally. I am not impressed because the APC ought to be in operation.
*One of the police vehicles burnt by the bandits
“The fact that the APC was parked behind the station where it was bombed means that it was not put to maximum use. It is unacceptable. They should begin to account for their negligence of duty, incompetence or both.
“Until we begin to do that, this lamentation will continue and criminals will continue to operate and demystify the state and make us look like a collection of mushrooms that can be consumed with minimal effort.
“I believe the police will have to investigate to reassure us that we are safe. The fact that they can attack two police formations and do that kind of damage shows the need to revisit the role of policing and their operational order.”
The governor, however, praised the Army for the five soldiers who repelled the attack and killed one of the bandits who attacked and attempted to bomb a private residence where the soldiers reside.
“The point has been made that if you attack a military base, you will pay a huge price. For me, that is a little relief that one of the bandits was killed by the soldiers in the sense that his identity will assist the security agencies in their investigations,” he noted.
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