Police says it has arrested eight people suspected in bank robvery in Offa, Kwara, where 50 people were killed.
Police also arrested 12 other suspects directly responsible for the recent killings in Donga and Bali Local Government Areas of Taraba State.
The spokesman of the Police, ACP Jimoh Moshood said 7 AK47 rifles, 4 locally made revolver pistols and thirty rounds of AK47 ammunition and 7 operational vehicles were recovered in the two states.
He further said the IGP, Ibrahim Idris has placed Commissioners of Police and police personnel nationwide on red-alert and directs 24-hour intelligence gathering and crime prevention/police visibility patrol of crisis spots, flash points and other crime vulnerable scenes in their commands throughout the country.
He said that the IGP Ibrahim Idris, is concerned with the banks robbery attack in Offa, Kwara State on Thursday, 5th April, 2018 and the recent killings on 4th & 7th April, 2018 in Donga and Bali Local Government Areas of Taraba State that resulted in the loss of innocent lives, carting away of huge sums of money and destruction of properties worth millions of naira in the two states.
Moshood explained that consequently the IGP ordered deployment of three Police Mobile Force Units, high powered police investigation team, Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) with ten Crew members and Anti-Robbery equipments to Kwara State.
He said three Police Mobile Force units were deployed to Taraba State to beef up security and prevent further attacks.
He said the deployments which have arrived the two States will cover Offa LGA and its environ and other vulnerable points in Kwara State.
He said the deployment of the three Police Mobile Force (PMF) in addition to the five PMF units recently deployed to Taraba State will cover Donga, Bali, Lau, Gassol, Karim Lamido LGAs and other flash points in the State.
Moshood said the Police teams will carry out intelligence gathering, raids of identified criminal spots/flashpoints, stop and search operations, visibility and confidence building patrols, arrest of perpetrators and further investigation into the incidents.
He said, "the immediate intervention and preliminary investigation carried out by the high-powered Police Investigation Team deployed by the IGP working in synergy with the State Criminal Intelligence and Investigation Department in the two Commands resulted in the arrest of Eight Principal Suspects in connection with the Offa Bank Robbery and Twelve Suspects directly responsible for the recent killings in Donga and Bali Local Government Areas of Taraba State. "
He said those arrested in Taraba State have confessed and admitted to the various criminal roles they played in the commission of the crime and will be arraigned in court on completion of investigation.
He said they include: Ali Runo, Hassan Ruwo, Chindo Umoru, Yinusa Usman, Shittu Usman, Tervesee John, Terse Joseph, Victor Madu, Theophilos Ajee, Hasama George Tervise Boniface and Tijie Evarso.
He said, " in the Offa incident where 9 Policemen and 8 other persons were killed, the names of the eight suspects arrested in connection with the incident who have admitted to the various criminal roles they played in the banks robbery attacks and also assisting Police investigation into the incident are being withheld but will be disclosed after the arrest of the remaining suspects and completion of investigation into the crime."