Soldiers of the Nigerian army attacked police officers to prevent an arrest of a drug dealer in Taraba State, Nigeria police says.
Policemen numbering five, were said to be attacked by the military officers attached to Battalion 93, Takum.
The agents of the police force were attempting to arrest Endurance Mike for selling tramadol and other banned psychotropic drugs when the ten soldiers descended on them.
The Punch, citing police report on the incident which was obtained Monday, August 19, in Abuja, said the event which occurred on June 30,2018, almost led to a violent confrontation between policemen and soldiers of Battalion 93.
The report, with reference number CK4161/AC/TK/TRS/VOL.1/2 dated July 7, was written by the Area Commander, Takum Area Command, ACP Ayuba Dickson, to the Commissioner of Police, state headquarters, Jalingo.
It explained that when the policemen got to Mike’s shop where he also sold medicines, they met a soldier who exchanged hot words with them on learning that they wanted to arrest the shop owner.
It said, “While the police team was still inside the shop, the unnamed soldier went out and mobilised more than 10 fellow soldiers who came on motorcycles and beat up the policemen, seized the confiscated drugs and set the suspect free. One of the men also seized and chewed the search warrant and swallowed it.
“The soldiers also forcefully seized two rifles from the police team and took them to their makeshift office.”
The report identified the injured policemen as the Divisional Crime Officer, Ussa Division, ASP Usman Madugu, Inspector Ishaku Garba, Sergeants Moses Ashoon and Punadanda Ahmadu and Cpl. Manasseh Alfred.
Scooper had earlier reported how some soldiers opened fire on operatives of police Intelligence Response Team (IRT) while conveying a hardened kidnapper to the Command Headquarters in Jalingo, Taraba State, killing 3 officers, including one civilian in the process and leaving others badly injured.
The kidnapper, Alhaji Hamisu, "indicted in a series of high-profile kidnap incidents in the state" was subsequently freed by the soldiers, police's spokesman, Frank Mba said Wednesday, August 7, 2019.
The army, in a statement said the military officers mistook the police officers as kidnappers after they refused to stop at three consecutive check points, prompting a gun battle during which they were killed.
However, the police disagreed with the army's narrative and accused it of lying, saying there were sufficient proofs its killed men were officers of the police force.
The army, responded that the police was making “inciting and inflammatory” comments over the incident. It warned of a possible escalation of the crisis.
