File: Hooded bandits

By Jethro Ibileke

The manager of one hotel in Benin city has been left critically injured following alleged attack by armed robbers who raided the hotel.

No fewer than 13 staff and guests of the hotel which shares a fence with the official residence of some officers of 4 Brigade, Nigerian Army, were also robbed by bandits.

The hotel manager is currently receiving treatment at an undisclosed private hospital in Benin.

In recent times, policemen have deserted the streets of Benin metropolis, following attack on some police stations by hoodlums who burned down three police stations during the #EndSARS protest.

The situation left the city at the mercy of hoodlums who have carried out violent robbery attacks on the residents.

Items like mobile phones and money have been reportedly snatched on a regular basis in recent times, but the robbers seem to have shifted their target to hotels, guest houses, and otber business centres.

Narrating his ordeal, one of the guests in the hotel, said the robbers had a free day as they moved from room to room, tied down their victims and carted away both foods, drinks, phones, money and other items.

Accordng to him, “The incident happened about 3 am on Wednesday. They spent over one hour moving from one room to the other.

“They were six in number and four of them carried guns while the others carried machetes which they used on the ear and head of the manager of the hotel.

“They came in around 3 am immediately after the public light went off. They first pounced on the security man who was going to put on the generator, they tied his hands and legs and then went to the reception where they took the accountant and forced him to lead them to each of the rooms and ransacked and took everything from us; our phones, money and other things.

“The robbers also went away with all the cooked foods in the kitchen, carried all the drinks in freezers, leaving only water and soft drinks.

“They tied everybody hands and legs and also had the luxury of drinking some of the beer and then loaded the remaining ones and the food into an SUV van owned by a guest and then went away with the vehicle,” he said.

When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer, Chidi Nwabuzor, said they would soon be back on the streets to curb all sorts of robbery.

He said: “The Inspector-General of Police visited us yesterday (Wednesday) and he has energised the men.

“Apart from the IG, the governor of the state, His Excellency, Governor Godwin Obaseki, has equally energised the men so, very soon, you will see that action will start.”