Police parade 17-yr-old suicide bomber suspect in Jos

From Daniel Dauda, Jos

A 17 years old alleged suicide bomber arrested by the Plateau State Police Command was paraded on Tuesday at the Commands’ headquarters in Jos

A suspect Benjamin Basil, an ND1 civil engineering student of Plateau State Polytechnic, Barkin-Ladi, was among 8 other suspects apprehended for various criminal offenses from different locations in the state.

The Police commissioner, CP Emmanuel Adesina, told newsmen that On 13th May, 2024 at about 12pm, we received a distress call from UBA Sparkling Junction, Dadin Kowa, reporting a suspected armed robber who had entered the banking hall with suspected explosive devices tied around his body, and handed over a note to the cashier demanding for the sum of 100 Million Naira under the threat that the explosives would be detonated if his request is not granted.

“The bank attendant immediately reported to the manager of the bank who swiftly reported to the Police at Rantya division and evacuated the customers from the bank. On sighting the Police vehicle, the suspect panicked and started running out of the bank.

“In the process, our Police officers posted at the bank saw him running and pursued him with the help of the youths in the area, the suspect was arrested. His name is Benjamin Basil male, a student of Plateau State Polytechnic, Barkin Ladi Heipang Campus.

“The case is currently under investigation at the state CID, to ascertain the validity of his claims and arrest possible suspects”, the CP explained.

However, the suspect Benjamin Basil who spoke with Journalists narrated that he is a victim of kidnap as he was kidnapped on his way to school on Monday at about 9:00am in the morning, opposite Police staff college Jos.

When asked why he was strapped and ready to detonate the explosives, Basil said he was forced by unknown men to forcefully get 100 million naira from bank.

According to him “I met some people who said if I don’t cooperate with them,  they will explode me and I will just die. And everyone in the bank will die. Then I said, okay, I’m willing to cooperate. But  first of all, let me try and document it. In the beginning of the note I wrote read from beginning to the end. Then I showed them. At that point I realized that they couldn’t read. So I took advantage of the situation.

“I Wrote to inform the cashier that I’m wrapped in suicide bomb at gunpoint. And I’m doing this against my will, I told him so that he will call for help.

“They also told me that when I come out With the 100 million naira I am to collect from the bank in the two bags they gave me,  twelve of their men will be waiting outside and they will collect the bag from me. Then they will disconnect the bomb from their own side”.

It could recall that Benjamin Basil was said to have sneaked  into UBA located at Dadin Kowa, Jos South local government area wearing packed with suspected improvised explosive device (IED), which caused panic and apprehension among the staff and customers in the Bank.