Colleagues of policemen killed during the arrest of a kidnap kingpin, Hamisu Bala, popularly known as Wadume in Taraba State, have decried the delay in the prosecution of the suspects, three months after the killings.
Inspector Mark Ediale, Sergeants Usman Danzumi and Dahiru Musa and two civilians, were killed during a confrontation with soldiers along Ibi-Jalingo road in Taraba State on Tuesday, August 6, 2019.
Daily Trust reports that the two remaining corpses of the slain cops were interred on October 23, 13 days after the three other victims were buried in Abuja.
One of the colleagues of the slain cops told Daily Trust that the delay in the burial of the victims was due to the lingering investigation on the matter.
The slain cops were of the Intelligence Response Team of the Nigeria Police Force.
One of the colleagues of the deceased, who spoke to Daily Trust, described the delay in prosecution of the suspects as demoralising, saying “Our hearts cannot stop bleeding as the killers of our departed colleagues have not been punished. It is unfortunate that the soldiers are in detention and no step has been taken to dismiss and hand them over to us for prosecution”.
He said with the completion of the investigation by the Board of Inquiry constituted to probe the matter, the suspects should have been handed over to the police for prosecution.
“Yes, the captain and his colleagues are in detention in Adamawa but they have not been punished. Information at our disposal is that the captain is too connected and that nothing will come out of the case. Honestly, we are demoralised, the case is not been mentioned any longer,” he said.
Another colleague of the slain police officers, said aside from the delay in the prosecution of the suspects, the five AK-47 rifles, three pistols and other belongings of the police officers confiscated by the military during the confrontation have also not been released.
The Board of Inquiry had on October 8 released its report and recommended that the army and police further investigate Capt. Tijjani Balarabe, Sergeant Ibrahim Mohammed, Corporal Bartholomew Obanye, DCO Ibi Police Division, ASP Aondoona Iorbee, and Insp. Aliyu Dadje for complacency.
The BOI, in a statement by acting Director of Defence Information, Col. Onyema Nwachukwu, also recommended that further investigation be conducted on Wadume for gunrunning and kidnapping.
