The Offa bank robbery

Nigerians remain shell-shocked by the April 5 bank robbery in Offa, Kwara State, in which bandits shot 30 persons including policemen. The incident conjured the horror of a tragic movie as the bandits operated seamlessly, and in a commando-like manner, for more than an hour. Having subdued the personnel at the nearest police station, the bandits went berserk, killing the policemen, bank workers and passersby in sight, just as they blew up bank vaults and emptied them before escaping with their loot. The vibration triggered by the incident resonated across the country, with the Imo State Police Command, for instance, spontaneously establishing what it called Bank Chain patrol squads, as the command did not want to be caught napping. On its part, the Kwara State government immediately announced that it was placing a N5 million bounty on the heads of those behind the dastardly act.

While  the residents of Offa are  apparently still gripped with fear, the  overall   attendant    consequences and losses to the country following the calamity are unimaginable. They border on the near absence of security of lives and properties in the country. For instance, the Offa debacle has compounded the pains and frustrations being encountered by people in the neighbouring Omu-Aran community where banking services have been completely closed down. The only bank which resumed skeleton services in January, three years after a similar attack on banks in the community, refused to open for business in spite of the appeals by Omu-Aran leaders. Customers thus had to cover about 75 kilometres travelling to Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, for bank transactions.

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We sympathise with the victims and indeed all the people of Offa over the robbery attack. The incident again affirms the near collapse of the security architecture in the country. This particular case exposed the widening gulf in intelligence gathering mechanisms  of  the  police  and other law-enforcement  agencies. By implication, criminals now operate brazenly, putting the state on the defensive. Happily, both chambers of the National Assembly have strongly denounced the Offa calamity and expressed deep worries over the frightening spate of insecurity across the country. And the Kwara State House of Assembly was poignant in its spontaneous reaction to the tragedy, decrying the attitude of the Federal Government in the wake of the tragedy. The government’s response, it said, was slow in coming. The implication is that the government is overwhelmed by the scary state of affairs in the country.

The dire security situation in the country is underscored by the affirmation by the military authorities and the Speaker of the House of  Representatives, Honourable Yakubu Dogara, that the military is currently involved in internal security operations in 30 out of the 36 states of the federation. The Offa tragedy, therefore, has further exposed the underbelly of the existing policing system in the country and hence, the need to fast-track the process aimed at establishing state police. The centralised structure has consistently failed the country. The people must be made to claim ownership of securing their immediate environment and lives, and this can only  be  better achieved through the institution of state police. The need for better collaboration between the citizens and the police cannot be overemphasised.

More pragmatic methods must be evolved to restore public confidence in the police so that they can improve on service delivery. The situation right now leaves much to be desired. Such reassurance will encourage Nigerians to give information to the police which can help to safeguard lives and properties in the country. The deployment of modern technology, including CCTV, should  be of  utmost  priority. Finally, the authorities should tap into the full potentialities of local vigilance groups, as the war against criminals cannot be fought by the police alone.