Following the much talked-about Imo State robbery incident in February, the state police command apparently released a statement detailing how the incident happened. But as the video circulated online during the week, Nigerians were quick to point out the sharp contrast between the police version of the event and what was seen in the video. For this reason, many readers have attacked the police harshly, while calling for Iboko to be honoured as a hero.In the statement signed by Andrew Enwerem, the spokesperson for the police in Imo, the command refuted reports that the robbers killed some people before making away with their loot.
In fact, on Friday, Enwerem reiterated this to our correspondent.
“I can tell you without doubt that nobody was killed in that robbery. As I speak to you, no one has come to report to us that they were robbed on the bank premises that day. So, we cannot say the robbers made away with money,” he said.
However, here are some disparities between that statement and what the video showed:
“The four-man robbery gang who arrived the bank at about 3.10pm in an ash colour Toyota Camry car immediately started shooting but were confronted with stiff resistance from police personnel on guard at the bank,” the police statement said.
But the video shows the robbers arrived the bank in a black Hyundai Elantra.
“The Commissioner of Police, Taiwo Lakanu, who received the report personally mobilised and led teams of police personnel to the scene in a frontal confrontation. At the end of the shootout, three policemen sustained various degrees of injury while one of the robbers was gunned down,” another paragraph in the police statement read.
But the video only showed a policeman, who has now been identified as Sergeant Chukwudi Iboko, confronting the robbers in a gun duel. There was also no other policeman in sight in the video.