Army Reply Police, Say Three Police Officers Killed Acted Like Kidnappers

The Nigerian Army has responded to statement credited to DCP Frank Mba
Force Public Relations Officer, 
Force Headquarters that soldiers killed three policemen, one civilian and also freed a kidnap kingpin along Ibi-Wukari Road in Taraba State.

Colonel Sagir Musa, Acting Director Army Public Relations in a reaction to the statement obtained by BIGPEN Online, said that the victims acted like kidnappers since they refused to stop when they were flagged down in a military checkpoint along the route.

The Army Spokesman said that the soldiers responding to a distressed call to rescue a kidnapped victim had flagged down the vehicle conveying the victims but they refused to stop and in an ensuing confrontation they exchanged fire with the ‘suspected kidnappers’ who later turned out to be policemen.

The statement is reproduced below.

“The attention of the Army Headquarters has been drawn to the Press Release by
DCP FRANK MBA FORCE PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICER FORCE HEADQUARTERS, ABUJA Ref No. CZ.5300/FPRD/FHQ/ABJ/VOL.2/68 Date: 7th August, 2019 on the  unfortunate incident that occurred on the 6th of August 2019 in which 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 resulting in the death and injury of some members of the Team.

On the 6th of August 2019, the said Nigerian Army troops, while responding to a distressed call to rescue a kidnapped victim exchanged fire with the suspected kidnappers along Ibi-Wukari Road in Taraba State.

The suspected kidnappers numbering about ten (10) and 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. 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.

In the  resultant fire fight,  four (4) suspects were shot and died on the spot while four (4) others  sustained various degrees of gunshot wounds and 2 others reportedly missing. It was only after this avoidable outcome that one of the wounded suspects disclosed the fact that they were indeed Policemen dispatched from Nigerian Police, Force Headquarters, Abuja for a covert assignment.

However,  following inquiries from a  Police Station officer who was asked by the commander of the Army troops whether he was aware of any Nigerian Police team being dispatched to operate in the LGA, the Divisional  Police Officer of Ibi Police  Division responded that he was not informed about any operation by the Nigerian Police Force Headquarters thus lending credence to the distressed call from members of the community that the suspects who turned out to be Policemen on a covert mission were rather suspected kidnappers.

This incident is indeed quite unfortunate and could have been avoided through proper coordination and liaison as the Nigerian Police Force are partners in the fight against crimes such as kidnapping amongst myriads of other internal security threats confronting our nation of which the Nigerian Police is the lead Agency.

In order to avert future occurrences of this nature, the Army Headquarters and the Force Headquarters  of the Nigerian Police have agreed to constitute a Joint lnvestigation Panel to be headed by the Deputy Inspector General of Police in charge of Criminal Investigation Department, DIG Mike Ogbizi, to jointly investigate and report on the true circumstances surrounding the unfortunate incident. Therefore, until the Joint Investigation Panel concludes and submits its report, it will be premature to officially conclude and speak on the real circumstances that caused this unfortunate but very avoidable  unfortunate incident”.