CSO protests killing of cops, demands perpetrators’ prosecution

A civil society group, Concerned Nigerians, has protested against the Tuesday killing of policemen by soldiers along Ibi-Jalingo Road in Taraba State.

Members of the group who held a solidarity protest at the Force headquarters, Abuja, on Saturday, demanded the arrest and prosecution of the perpetrators.

The Intelligence Response Team led by ASP Felix Adolije came under attack from soldiers while taking a kidnap suspect, Hamisu Wadume, to the Command Headquarters in Jalingo.

During the attack, Inspector Mark Ediale, Sergeants Usman Danzumi, Dahiru Musa and a civilian died as a result of gunshot injuries, while others sustained gunshot wounds.

The CSO in its letter of commiseration to the Inspector-General of Police called for a full-fledged investigation into the attack.

The letter read in part, “As at today, the perpetrators of this act have not been arrested. We use this opportunity to call for a full-fledged investigation into the circumstances that led to this incident and urge that justice be done in this matter. We call on the Federal Government to look after the families the deceased left behind.”

In a similar vein, a pro-democracy group, Advocates of People Rights and Justice, has expressed shock over the killing of the policemen by officers of the 93 Battalion of the Nigerian Army.

APRJ National Coordinator, Victor Giwa, in a statement, said the Nigerian Army, as a responsible organisation, should apologise to Nigerians and the people of Taraba State for the ugly incident, which he described as an operational mistake.

He stated, “While we are aware of the panel set up to investigate the incident, we believe that  the Nigerian Army should, as an organized and responsible institution, apologize to Nigerians and the people of Taraba State, for this  ugly incident which is now viewed as an operational mistake on the part of the Army.”

Giwa faulted the response of the military to the incident, stressing that the authorities should have apologized at the discovery that the facts were not as they believed it to be.

The lawyer said, “The members of the families of the deceased are in terrible pain and trauma for the loss of their wards in such an avoidable situation. We believed that a public apology from the Army in the main time will assuage public outcry as we await the final outcome of the investigation.”