Edo armed robbers attack hotel, hold drinking session before leaving

Armed robbers in Benin City, Edo State capital, are becoming more daring by the day as they attacked and robbed a hotel, and held a drinking session before leaving the scene.

Emboldened by the absence of policemen on the streets, the men of the underworld have now shifted base from carjacking on the streets to robbing hotels, guest houses and business centres, where they now eat before departing.

Armed robbers, in the latest of their operation in the Benin metropolis, paid a nocturnal visit to a hotel in Benin City GRA, located at a distance of which less than 500 metres from the entrance gate of Edo State Government House, and robbed the 13 occupants and staff in the hotel. Thee manager of the facility, who was badly injured in the course of the operation, was rushed to a private hospital for medical attention.

The hotel, besides its proximity to the Edo State seat of power, equally shares a fence with the official residence of some officers of the 4 Brigade of the Nigerian Army.

ALSO READ: #EndSARS: Buhari names Gambari leader of team to engage royal fathers

Since the police withdrew its services, in the aftermath of the October 19 orgy of violence on seven police stations in the state capital, residents of the once peaceful state have been lat the mercy of robbers, kidnappers, carjackers and other criminal elements, who operate with abandon reckless, cross the state capital and other towns and villages.

Recall that the Inspector General of Police, IGP, Mr Adamu Mohammed was in the state on Wednesday to inspect the police facilities burnt by hoodlums who infiltrated the #EndSARS protest. 

Though the IGP ordered men and officers of the Edo Police Command to return to their duty posts, the streets are still unmanned by policeman.

However, the Police Public Relations Officer, Edo Police Command, Chidi Nwabuzor DSP, said the officers and men of the command would soon return to the streets.

“The Inspector-General of Police visited us yesterday (Wednesday) and he has energised the men and apart from the IG, the governor, His Excellency Governor Godwin Obaseki, the governor of Edo State, has equally energised the men so very soon you will see that action will start.”

Narrating his experience on Thursday, a victim of the robbery, who was a guest in the hotel, said the robbers had a free day as they moved from room to room, tied their victims and carted away both food and drinks.

“The incident happened at about 3 am on Wednesday. They spent over one hour moving from one room to the other. They came in around 3 am immediately after the public light went off. 

“They first pounced on the security man who was going to put on the generator, they tied his hand and legs and then went to the reception where they took the accountant who they forced to lead them to each of the rooms and ransacked and took everything from us; our phones, money and other things,” the victim narrated.

According to him, the robbers were six in number. Four of them carried guns, while the others carried machetes which they used on the ear and head of the manager of the hotel.

“The robbers also went away with all the cooked food in the kitchen, carried all the drinks in freezers leaving only water and soft drinks. They tied everybody hands and legs and also had the luxury of drinking some of the beer and then loaded the remaining ones and the food into an SUV van owned by a guest and then went away with the vehicle,” he stated.

NIGERIAN TRIBUNE