By MICHAEL DAVID, Lafia

Gunmen suspected to be armed robbers on Tuesday reportedly invaded the Ministry of Finance Budget and Planning, carting away from the Nasarawa State government the sum of N100 million at gunpoint.

The incident took place, adjacent to the state Accountant General’s Office, where an array of security operatives were on guard for the state Accountant General.

An eyewitness, who pleaded anonymity, told DAILY INDEPENDENT that the suspected armed robbers trailed officials of the state Ministry of Finance, Budget and Planning from a first generation bank in Lafia, the state capital, where they went to withdraw the cash from the bank in order to pay casual workers of the Ministry.

The eyewitness said, “It was in the Ministry’s premises that the well-armed gunmen snatched the N100 million from the Finance Ministry’s officials while trying to dislodge the cash from the vehicle that was conveying it to the Cash Room.

“In the process of snatching the amount of money, the gunmen shot sporadically in the air that the Ministry’s officials carrying the money and other staff of the Ministry within the premises lay down low paving the way for the gunmen to snatch the N100 million,” the eyewitness narrated.

The eyewitness also told DAILY INDEPENDENT that while the robbery was successful without any hitches was that the Ministry does not engage the services of security agencies in carrying out its activities.

The source told DAILY INDEPENDENT: “Officials of the Ministry wouldn’t want to expend the Ministry’s resources on security operatives hence they neglected services of security agencies in the day-to-day running of the Ministry.”

In a telephone interview with DAILY INDEPENDENT, the State Commissioner for Finance, Budget and Planning, Haruna Ogbole, confirmed the robbery incident but added that investigations were ongoing to apprehend the culprits.

He, however, declined to confirm the amount of money snatched by the suspected armed robbers. (Text, excluding headline, courtesy Daily Independent)

Update news