Minna robbery: Police trace incident to palace insiders, confirm guards’ death

The two palace guards who were shot during the armed robber attack at Emir of Minna Palace in Niger State, on Tuesday, are dead.

A witness had told Daily Trust that the guards were receiving treatment at Minna General Hospital.

While reacting to the incident, which he described as shocking, Governor Mohammed Bago had wished the palace guard quick recovery.

But addressing journalists on the sidelines of the G-7 States Technical Committee Meeting in Abuja on Wednesday, Police Commissioner in Niger, Mr Ogundele Ayodeji, said the guards had died.

Fish out those behind Minna Palace attack, Gov Bago tells Security Operatives

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He added that preliminary investigation revealed an in-house conspiracy, disclosing that N3.3 million was carted away by the robbers.

The commissioner, said that his men were already trailing the criminals, and expressed confidence that they would be caught.

“I was called around 3:00 p.m. while in Abuja for the G-7 states Technical Committee Meeting, that there was a robbery attack in front of the palace of the Emir of Minna.

“From the update I got, the hoodlums tailed the cashier of the emirate up to the gate of the palace. As the cashier was about to enter the palace, the criminals shot sporadically, and in the process, killed two of the palace guards and carted away with N3.3 million.

“From the reports I have received, there seems to be an in-house conspiracy to the crime, and I am confident that the criminals will be caught sooner or later,” he said.

He described the G-7 platform, made up of Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and its six neighbouring states, as “very strategic” in fighting cross-border crime among the member states.

He said that the G-7 technical committee comprised of security chiefs of the FCT, Benue, Kaduna, Kogi, Nasarawa, Niger and Plateau States.

Ayodeji said that the meeting was long overdue, adding that the joint actions, operations, and clearing of bandits within the member states would be done simultaneously.