Police in Bauchi State have constituted an investigation team in collaboration with the Nigerian Army to investigate the killing of a soldier in Bauchi by a police officer.
According to the police command, the investigators will adhere to all professional standards and diligent processes to establish a reliable, evidence-based investigation, dispel uncertainties, and guarantee justice.
It would be recalled that a member of the Nigerian Army attached to 33 Artillery Brigade was fatally shot while attempting to intercept a truck suspected of transporting solid minerals from an illegal mining site in Futuk, Alkaleri local government area of Bauchi State by a mobile police inspector on illegal duty.
At a press conference on Friday, the Police public relations officer (PPRO) in the state, CSP Ahmed Mohammed Wakil said that the incident happened on August 25 when a personnel from 33 Artillery Brigade, Bauchi, purportedly stopped a truck with registration number Gombe 676-BLG at a checkpoint in Futuk village.
According to the PPRO, the truck driver refused to comply, prompting the guard commander, Master Warrant Officer (MWO) Ali Haruna, now deceased, to pursue the vehicle with his team on motorbikes until they were able to intercept it.
The command, therefore, called on media practitioners not to relent in their firm commitments and dedication to ensuring global best practices of ethical investigative journalism to seek the truth and establish national cohesion and patriotism in the country.
CSP Ahmed Waki explained that the Command would have overlooked the issue, but it has become expedient to set the record straight, as a life has been lost and some members of the public are being misled by a section of the media, which tends to undermine the collaborative synergy among security agencies operating in the state.
It was reported that the truck driver initially refused to stop, prompting the guard commander, Master Warrant Officer (MWO) Ali Haruna, to pursue the vehicle with his men until it was intercepted. On halting the truck, a mobile police officer, identified as Inspector Yusuf Ibrahim, allegedly disembarked and opened fire on the guard commander, hitting him in the stomach.
The soldiers quickly subdued the policeman and rushed the injured officer to the Gombe Specialist Hospital, where he later died from the gunshot wound. The truck driver reportedly fled the scene during the chaos.
Preliminary findings suggest that the truck was loaded with solid minerals suspected to have been illegally extracted from the Yalo community in Alkaleri.
Meanwhile, the Bauchi State Police Command has appealed for calm following the tragic incident.
CSP Wakil however clarified that contrary to reports circulating on social media, the truck was not engaged in illegal mining activities.
He explained that the vehicle belonged to Guruje Mining Company Limited and ZURFI Company Limited, both of which hold valid mining licenses issued by the Mining Cadastre Office for lead and zinc extraction in Gwana, Alkaleri LGA.
“These companies have complied with all operational protocols of the Nigerian Minerals and Mining Act of 2007 and possess the necessary certificate of incorporation,” Wakil said, adding that revenue payments had also been remitted to the Federal Ministry of Mines and Steel Development.
Wakil said in response to the tragedy, the Bauchi Police Command has set up a joint investigative team comprising senior detectives and Nigerian Army Military Police officers to unravel the immediate and remote causes of the clash.
