By Ekamma UBA, Assistant Investigator Editor, Lagos.
EARLIER claims by the Nigerian Army that his soldiers who brazenly murdered three Police operatives attached to the DCP Abba Kyari-led Inspector-General of Police IGP’s Intelligence Response Team and two civilians were responding to a distress call have been punctured by the re-arrested fleeing kidnap kingpin himself, Alhaji Hamisu Bala. Bala who is popularly called why do me corrupted for Wadume was reportedly tracked to his uncle’s house somewhere in Kano by crack detectives led by the Commander of IGP IRT, DCP Abba Kyari and arrested on Monday August 19, 2019. He confessed to CrimeWorld that the soldiers that opened fire on the vehicle conveying him to Abuja were far from responding to any distress call. He had however, yet to say whether he sponsored the attack that led to the gruesome death of the three Policemen, two civilians and injuring five others. He said, “When I was arrested on that day, the Police cuffed my hands and legs and was driving round the town; I think they were taking me to Abuja when soldiers fired at the bus causing it to skid off the road and somersaulted. The soldiers now came and took me to their base where they sawed off the cuffs and allowed me to go. From there, I went into hiding in the bush.”
*’Wadume’ sandwiched by IGP IRT led by DCP Abba Kyari after the arrest…
Recall that the Nigerian Army through its acting spokesperson, Colonel Musa Sagir had issued a statement moments after the dastardly incident claiming that the soldiers who fired directly into the vehicle conveying Hamisu Bala to Abuja leading to the death of the Police men on lawful duty were attached to 93 Brigade Command, Takum and were responding to a distress call. He had insisted that his men could not have fired at the Police officers if their vehicle had stopped at the checkpoint and identified themselves properly. Apparently irked by the response of the Army over the sad incident, the Police through its Force public relations officer, DCP Frank Mba described the Army’s response as insensitive and against espiri de corps. Referencing the video of the killing that went viral on the social media, DCP Mba drew the attention of the Army to the fact that even when the Policemen identified themselves as such, they were shot pointblank; questioning that if they were actually responded to distress call, how come ‘the kidnap victim’ was not taken to their base and kept till the next morning rather than unfettered and allowed him to escape that same night. These and many more questions raised by the Police caused the federal government to set up a high powered investigation panel to probe the action of the soldiers. But while some soldiers and Policemen allegedly indicted in the obscene drama had since been taken into custody undergoing interrogation, the distraught operatives of the IGP IRT vowed to ensure that Hamisu Bala was fished out anyhow. Their avowal paid off Monday night when he was traced to a house in Kano State and arrested. DCP Mba who confirmed the arrest of the most wanted notorious kidnap kingpin in a statement said, “The operatives of the Nigeria Police IRT have re-arrested the notorious kidnap kingpin, Alhaji Hamisu Bala Wadume. He was re-arrested in the late hours of yesterday, 19th August, 2019 in his hideout at Layin Mai Allo Hotoro area of Kano State. It would be recalled that the Police had been on the massive manhunt for the suspect, Alhaji Hamisu Bala Wadume since 6th August, 2019 following the unfortunate incident in Ibi, Taraba State which resulted in the brutal murder of three (3) Police Officers and two (2) civilians, and injury to five (5) others. The suspect, who was appropriately restrained at the time of the incident, was subsequently released by his ‘rescuers’ after they had destroyed the restraining handcuffs. Meanwhile, the Inspector General of Police, IGP M.A Adamu, while commending the Police operatives for their perseverance and painstaking efforts, has expressed his profound gratitude to all Nigerians for their unparalleled show of love and empathy to the Force and the families of the officers and patriotic civilians who paid the supreme price in the service of their fatherland. It is his belief that the re-arrest of the suspect, Alhaji Hamisu Bala Wadume, will no doubt, help in bringing answers to the numerous but hitherto unanswered questions touching on the incident and the larger criminal enterprise of the suspect.”
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