A teenage student, Benjamin Basil, was apprehended by security operatives at a bank in Jos, the Plateau State capital, with devices suspected to be bomb explosives while attempting to rob the bank of N100 million. Basil narrated to newsmen how kidnappers coerced him into the act.
Speaking at the Police Command headquarters in Jos, where he was paraded alongside other suspects, Basil, a 17-year-old ND1 Civil Engineering student at Plateau State Polytechnic, recounted his ordeal. “My name is Benjamin Basil. I’m an ND1 student at Plateau State Polytechnic, studying Civil Engineering. I’m 17 years old and I live opposite the Police Staff College in Jos. Yesterday (May 13), I was on my way to school around 9 am when I was kidnapped near the Police Staff College. They instructed me to raise my shirt. When I asked why, one of them threatened to shoot me if I didn’t cooperate.”
Basil continued, “I raised my hands, and they wrapped something around my waist, telling me it was a suicide bomb. They took my phone and money, then returned them after a while. They handed me two bags and instructed me to bring N100 million from the bank, saying they would shoot me if I didn’t comply. They also said 12 armed men were waiting outside the bank to confront anyone who called for help.”
Basil said the kidnappers called a motorcyclist and paid him to take him to the UBA branch at Dadinkowa. “When I met the cashier inside the bank, he agreed not to call for help. But suddenly, everyone in the bank started running, and I got scared, thinking the kidnappers were coming inside. I ran outside, and the bank security officials apprehended me.”
The state Commissioner of Police, Emmanuel Olugbenga, who paraded Basil alongside other suspects, clarified that the device wrapped around Basil was not a bomb. He stated that investigations were ongoing to verify Basil’s claims and identify potential suspects.
“The case is currently under investigation at the state CID to ascertain the validity of his claims and arrest possible suspects,” Olugbenga said.
He praised the citizens of Plateau State for their cooperation and timely, accurate information, which aids the police in securing lives and property.
