DHQ constitutes joint panel to probe killing of policemen in Taraba

TRACKING> The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) on Friday announced a joint panel to investigate Tuesday’s killing of three police officers and a civilian by soldiers in Taraba State.

Heading the seven-man panel is Rear Admiral I.T. Olaiya.

Acting Director of Information Defence Headquarters, Colonel Onyema Nwachukwu, said that the Chief of Defence Staff, General Abayomi Olonisakin, constituted the committee in line with the directive of President Muhammadu Buhari.

The panel comprises representatives of the Army, Navy, Air Force, the Police, Department of State Services (DSS) and the Defence Intelligence Agency.

Colonel Nwachukwu said the committee has been asked to unravel the circumstances that led to the killing of the security personnel and the civilian along Ibi-Wukari Road in Taraba on Tuesday.

A separate panel set up by the police to investigate the killing yesterday visited the scene of the incident on the Ibi-Wukari road, Taraba State.

Read Also: Soldiers ‘kill’ three policemen, one civilian in Taraba

The officers were on investigative duties when they reportedly came under sudden attack and serious shooting by soldiers.

The police named the slain officers as Inspector Mark Edaile, Sergeant Usman Danzumi and Sergeany Dahiru Musa.

The officers, according to the Force Spokesperson, DCP Frank Mba, had gone to arrest one Alhaji Hamisu Bala Wadume who was indicted in a series of high-profile kidnap incidents.

The army however disputed the police version of the story saying the bus conveying the policemen and Hamisu refused to stop at three check-points and that the policemen fired the first shots.

Army spokesman, Col. Sagir Musa, said the soldiers only “acted on a distress call, suggesting that Hamisu was abducted by suspected kidnappers.

He said the police team refused to stop at three checkpoints which prompted a hot pursuit of the “fleeing suspects by the troops.”

He added: “It was in this process that the suspected kidnappers who were obviously armed opened fire at the troops sporadically, thus prompting them to return fire.”