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High profile kidnap kingpin, Hamisu Bala Wadume was being transported to Abuja on August 6, 2019 after he was arrested by a tactical police squad on a covert operation.
Without the slighted warning, a team of soldiers from the 93 Battalion of the Nigerian Army based in Takum, Taraba State attacked the police officers with ruthless force, along Ibi-Wukari road.
The attack led to the death of three police officers including a civilian while Wadume was set free by the soldiers.
The incident led to a face-off between the police and the Nigerian Army.
Consequently, the presidency ordered the army to set up an investigative panel to probe the killing.
The Investigative Panel submitted its report September 2019 to the Chief of Defense Staff, Gen Abayomi Olonisakin who was to study the report, make inputs and submit to the president who ordered the probe, for necessary action.
Recommendations were made in the report but Nigerians are yet to see actions or directives from the presidency that will guarantee justice for the slain and serve as a deterrent for other security operatives that have the penchant for operating outside their rules of engagement.
“Four months after the report was submitted, the presidency is silent, the Army is silent, the Police is silent but we cannot be silent because human lives were lost; policemen on official duty were murdered in cold blood and it seems the process of cover-up has been activated but Nigerians indeed want to know why a confessed criminal was rescued by the army at the expense of three lives”, an angry citizen fumed.
Also, the Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC) in collaboration with other civil society organization is pushing for a more decisive action from the presidency and justice for the slain officers.
The Executive Director, Okey Nwanguma said: “Nigerians must ask questions to know the motive behind the attack and killing of the three Intelligence Response Team (IRT) operatives in Taraba by the identified army officers.
“We want to know why the army officers rescued the kidnap suspect arrested and handcuffed by the police officers, and being driven to the Taraba State Police Command Headquarters by the murdered police officers and why the army officers uncuffed and freed him to escape.
“Considering the startling revelations by the kidnap suspect after he was re-arrested by IRT operatives, we want to know the likely role of some military top brass in kidnapping and other violent crimes in Nigeria.”
He continued: “The IRT 3 (Inspector Mark Ediale, Sergeant Usman Danzumi, and Sergeant Dahiru Musa) and one civilian were murdered by army officers in Taraba in August 2019 while on a legitimate assignment.
“Will they ever get justice?
“When will the Report of the investigation Panel set up by the Army Headquarters on Presidents Buhari’s directives make its findings public and justice served?”.
