Nigeria Police, Zenith Bank Announce Disappointing Rewards For Policemen Killed In Bank Robbery

The Imo State Commissioner of Police, Chris Ezike,  has announced a disappointing “reward” for the families of the two police officers, who died repelling a February robbery attack on a Zenith Bank branch in Owerri, Imo State. Mr. Ezike told NAN that he had recommended posthumous promotion for two police officers, as he disclosed that another policeman, Otu Attang, who survived the Feb. 22, 2017 attack, would also be promoted with the deceased officers, Messrs Chukwudi Iboko and Sunday Agbo.

The commissioner also announced an inadequate reward from the management of the bank, which said it had undertaken to offer scholarship to the children of the deceased officers.

Both rewards did little to put food immediately on the table for the widow of the late Iboko and her seven children and also empower his widow to start a business that would make her  family financially independent. Instead of immediate action by way of cash rewards, what they got were mere promises that may be broken in the future, when Nigerians, who in fact got the bank and police to do something through their out-pour of support on social media, would have forgotten about the matter.

In an overwhelming show of love and devotion to a cause, Nigerians from different parts of the world, in less than 24hours raised over $15,000 for the family of Sergeant Chukwudi Iboko, fater the Punch raised awareness to the plight of the family he left behind.

Four armed men on that day, trailed a man to the bank in Owerri, and in the process, attacked police officers attached to the place.

In the gun battle, the policemen killed one of the robbers identified as Ikechukwu Okpara, but lost Messrs Iboko and Agbo.

Mr. Ezike said the recommendation followed the huge sacrifice the three officers made to save the bank and its customers.

“The officers were gallant and showed serious commitment during the robbery attack. Nigeria Police Force cannot abandon them,” he said despite the miserable and unrealistic reward package announced by him. This goes to support the widely held view, even among police officers, that Nigeria is not worth dying for.

In any case, he said three of the suspected armed robbers, Justice Ogbonna, Abiye Charles and Okechukwu Nwanegbo, who attacked the bank, had been arrested, adding that different types of arms were recovered from them.