Benjamin Basil, a young student, who was caught by security agents at a bank in Jos while allegedly trying to rob them of N100 million with devices initially believed to be explosive bombs explained that he was compelled to carry out the heist by kidnappers who had abducted him.
During a press conference on Tuesday at the Police Command headquarters in Jos, the 17-year-old suspect, Basil, who claimed to be a student at the Plateau State Polytechnic, narrated his ordeal. He described how he was allegedly kidnapped and forced to carry out the bank robbery attempt while being paraded alongside other suspects.
In his statement “My name is Benjamin Basil. I’m an ND 1 student at Plateau State Polytechnic, studying Civil Engineering. I’m 17 years old and I reside opposite the Police Staff College in Jos. So, yesterday (May 13), I was on my way to school around 9 am and I was kidnapped along the way near the Police Staff College. They (the kidnappers) instructed me to raise my shirt. When I asked them why I should raise my shirt, one of them told me that they would shoot me dead if I didn’t cooperate with them.
“I raised my hands and after a while, they told me that what they just wrapped up my waist was a suicide bomb. They searched me and took my phone and money and after a while, they gave it back to me. Thereafter, they told me that they would take me to the bank, handed over two bags to me and instructed me to bring N100m.
“They said they would be waiting for me at the gate of the bank and that if I didn’t do it, they would just shoot me dead. At this point, I wrote it down and they took advantage of the situation and that I should inform the bank cashier that I was wrapped with a suicide bomb and that 12 of their men were waiting outside with AK 47 to confront anyone in case the cashier called for help.”
According to Basil, the kidnappers contacted a motorcyclist, who was paid to transport him to the UBA bank branch in Dadinkowa as part of their orchestrated plan.
According to him, “When I met the cashier inside the bank, he agreed that he wouldn’t call for help. But suddenly, I noticed that everybody in the bank started running and I was scared as I thought that the kidnappers outside had started coming inside the bank. So, I ran outside and the bank security officials dragged me down.”
The state Commissioner of Police, Emmanuel Olugbenga clarified during a press conference that the devices found wrapped on Basil, who was paraded alongside other suspects, were determined not to be actual bomb explosives, contradicting initial assumptions.
Olugbenga noted that the suspect, who claimed to have been kidnapped and forced to carry out the robbery, has been taken into police custody for further investigation.”
“The case is currently under investigation at the state CID, to ascertain the validity of his claims and arrest possible suspects”, the commissioner stated.
The state Commissioner of Police, expressed gratitude to the diligent and peace-loving residents of Plateau State for their cooperation with the police in maintaining law and order. He emphasized that their timely and valuable inputs had significantly assisted the police in fulfilling their duty to protect lives and property in the region.
