- Kidnappers forced me - Suspects
The Plateau state police command has paraded a suspected suicide bomber, Benjamin Basil, who allegedly entered bank in Dadin Kowa community of Jos South LGA of the state, with a fake improvised Explosive Device (IED) and demanded for N100m or detonate it if he was not given.
Parading the suspect, the Police Commissioner in the state, Olugbemiga Adesina, said the suspect was arrested following a report by the manager of the bank at Rantya police division.
A staff of the bank, who earlier confirmed the incident to City & Crime on Tuesday, explained that the suspect approached a teller, pretending to want to withdraw money, but instead dropped a note for the attendant, in which he claimed that an IED was strapped to his body and would detonate if his demand was not met.
He further said, "Understanding the demand of the suspect, the teller quickly communicated the situation to his supervisor who promptly alerted security to open the emergency exit for people to run. Thereafter, customers were alerted to leave the banking hall for their safety.
"Realising that customers started running out of the bank, the suspect joined them but was arrested by the security guards who later called the anti-bomb squad of the police. On their arrival, they took him to the Rantya Division."
The staff added that the suspect was able to enter the bank because the IED was probably a fake one, hence allowing him to bypass the mantrap of the bank undetected.
The suspect, Benjamin Basil, said he was forced to commit the crime by suspected kidnappers who abducted him earlier on Monday.
He said, "Six men kidnapped me around Police Staff College. They asked me to enter their bus, which I did. In the bus, they fixed an IED on my body and told me they would drop me at UBA and gave me two bags to collect the money. They asked me not to reveal anything and warned that if I did, they would detonate the IED and all of us in the bank would die. That was why I entered the bank."
