Nigeria Police Blast Army Over ‘Distortion Of Facts’ In Officers Killing

The Nigeria Police Force has tackled the Nigerian Army over a statement it issued on the alleged killing of three policemen in Taraba State by some soldiers.

The names of the officers allegedly killed by the soldiers were given by the Nigeria Police as: Sgt. Usman Danzumi, Inspector Mark Ediole, and Sgt. Dahiru Musa.

The Force Public Relations Officer, Frank Mba, had earlier accused the soldiers of killing the police officers before setting free an alleged high-profile kidnapper, Alhaji Hamisu Bala, who was being conveyed by the slain police officers.

But the Army, in response to Mba’s earlier statement, said its troops of 93 Battalion Nigerian Army Takum “pursued and exchanged fire with some suspected Kidnappers who  indeed turned out to be an Intelligence Response Team from the Police Force Headquarters Abuja on a covert assignment from Abuja.”

The Army said the mistaken slain policemen who were driving in a white bus with Reg No LAGOS MUS 564 EU “refused to stop when they were halted by troops at three consecutive check points,” adding that “The flagrant refusal of the suspected kidnappers to stop at the three checkpoints  prompted a hot pursuit of the fleeing suspects by the troops. It was in this process that the suspected kidnappers who were obviously armed opened fire at the troops sporadicaly thus prompting them to return fire.”

The police have however tackled the army over its submission, insisting that its soldiers “paradoxically” treated the alleged kidnap kingpin, Alhaji Wadume as a ‘‘kidnap victim’’ and subsequently ‘rescued’ him after killing the policemen.

Mba accused the Army of “distorting” the facts in the statement it issued.

Read the full statement by the police:

SETTING THE RECORD STRAIGHT – WHERE IS THE “RESCUED” NOTORIOUS KIDNAPPER, ALHAJI HAMISU BALA WADUME?

The attention of the Nigeria Police Force has been drawn to the Press Release by the Nigerian Army dated 07 August, 2019, seeking to justify the unprovoked and unwarranted murder of three (3) Police officers and one (1) Civilian, and serious injury to other operatives, who were on legitimate criminal investigation activities to Taraba State, to arrest one Alhaji Hamisu Bala Wadume indicted in a series of high-profile kidnap incidents in the State. In the best tradition of Esprit de Corps, Inter-Agency Harmony and National Interest, the Nigeria Police Force would naturally have kept quiet, but it has become imperative to set the record straight by addressing the obvious distortion of facts inherent in the Press Release by the Nigerian Army.

The most important question arising from the Nigerian Army Press Release is: Where is Alhaji Hamisu Bala Wadume? Alhaji Hamisu Bala Wadume is a millionaire kidnapper arrested by the Police but paradoxically treated as a ‘‘kidnap victim’’ by the Soldiers and subsequently ‘rescued’ by them. Where is he? Where is the rescued kidnapper?

Secondly, the Press Release was silent on the source of the alleged distress report or identity of the complainant, on the strength of whose report, the Army claimed had informed their decision to engage in the purported chase and rescue operation. Needless to state that in the true spirit of transparency and accountability, the Nigerian Army ought to have arrested the purported distress caller – if any – for obviously and deliberately furnishing them with false and misleading information. Besides, such arrest should in fact be made public!

Thirdly, it is not true that the Policemen failed to identify themselves as alleged in the Press Release. The video on the incident, now viral, wherein the voice of one of the soldiers was heard loudly proclaiming that the Policemen were from the Force Headquarters, Abuja speaks volume. Besides, the presence of the IRT personnel was well known to the Taraba Police Command as the Operatives officially and properly documented not only at the State Command Headquarters but also at the Wukari Area Command and the Ibi Divisional Headquarters. As a matter of fact, some of the Detectives from the Taraba State Command’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID) were part of the operation.

The Force also considers it insensitive, disrespectful and unpatriotic for the Press Release by the Army to continue to describe Policemen on lawful National Assignment as ‘suspected kidnappers’ long after it had become crystal clear to the Army that these are Law Enforcement Officers who unfortunately were gruesomely murdered in the line of duty by Nigerian soldiers attached to 93 Battalion, Takum.

In the final analysis, we leave the Nigerian Army authorities to provide Nigerians with answers on the following questions emanating from their Press Release:

• Where is the notorious kidnapper, Alhaji Hamisu Bala Wadume ‘rescued’ by the soldiers?

• ·How and why was Alhaji Hamisu Bala Wadume released by the soldiers?

• How could a kidnap suspect properly restrained with handcuffs by the Police escape from the hands of his military rescuers?

• If Alhaji Hamisu Bala Wadume is a ‘‘victim of kidnap’’ as claimed, and properly rescued by soldiers, why was he not taken to the Army Base for documentation purposes and debriefing in line with the Standard Operating Procedure in the Nigerian Army?

• Why were the Police Operatives shot at close range even after they had identified themselves as Police Officers on legitimate duty as evident in the video now in circulation?

DCP FRANK MBA
FORCE PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICER
FORCE HEADQUARTERS
ABUJA