Imo Bank Robbery: Writer Blast Nigeria Police Force

By Joy Marcus.

Recently, there was a video clip that went viral on the Internet, showing a robbery attack at a branch of Zenith Bank on Wetheral Road, Owerri, Imo State.

 

A policeman, Sergeant Chukwudi Iboko, was captured in the video, in a shootout with the robbers.

Iboko, who had only been deployed to the bank three days before the attack, died the following day from injuries he sustained in the attack. Another policeman also lost his life, while another sustained a life-threatening injury to his eye.

It is sad that in spite of the bravery displayed by Iboko, the Nigeria Police Force left the deceased’s family to their fate and did not bother to make  provision for the family Iboko left behind.

Even the police officer who lost his eye in the robbery was not well taken care of. It is sad that the Nigeria Police Force does not care for its men. When they die in the line of duty, their entitlements are not paid until years after. Some families don’t even get to receive anything. This particular incident is an eye-opener and it has further drawn the attention of the government to what occurs in the Nigeria Police Force.

This is one of the reasons why men of the Nigeria Police Force are not committed to fighting crime. They know that should anything bad happen to them, they and their families will be left in an indeterminate state.

Now is the time for the Federal Government to look into the welfare packages available to men and women of the NPF.  Our legislators should enact laws that will protect them  and see to it that should they lose their lives or get injured in the line of duty, they and their families are not left in the lurch.