From Laleye Dipo in Minna
The police said they had made a breakthrough in their investigations into the Lapai bank robbery which occurred recently.
The force said some arrests had been made in connection with the robbery with the suspects already volunteering information that would lead to the arrest of other members of the robbery gang.
Assistant Inspector General of Police, Mr Frederick Lakanu, who disclosed this in Minna on Thursday while speaking to newsmen, said the identities of the suspects were still being kept secret for “security and strategic reasons.”
Lakanu said the suspects were also not paraded in order not to jeopardise investigations into the case.
“Like the offa bank robbery, we have also made similar breakthrough in the Lapai bank robberies, some of the suspects have been arrested.
“For security reasons sometimes especially if some of them are still out there, we wouldn’t need to reveal our strategies. But I can assure you that we are working assiduously to pick everybody involved in that heinous crime.â€
Two first generation banks were raided in broad day light by dare devil armed robbers sometimes in February this year during which millions of naira were stolen and four people lost their lives.
Lakanu said considering the security challenges being faced in the state, provisional approval had been given to the Niger state police command to open new divisional police stations for effective policing of the state.
The AIG however commended the state police command for the peace and tranquility in the state and assured that the force was ready to protect lives and property of the people.
On the recent jail break at the Minna Prison, Lakanu said the police had been able to arrest more than half of the escapees, adding that those who were rearrested have given useful information that could lead to the arrest of others still on the run.
He however declined to give specific figure of those rearrested out of the over 180 inmates that escaped.
