Civil Defence officer disarms Police in Jalingo violent clash
Saphere M. Alhassan, Taraba State Commandant of the NSCDC, confirmed the incident, saying a “police inspector confronted my men in town and threatened to shoot but my men disarmed him. Before we knew what was happening police invaded our office with four Hilux vans conveying armed policemen. Thank God we were able to handle the […]
Saphere M. Alhassan, Taraba State Commandant of the NSCDC, confirmed the incident, saying a “police inspector confronted my men in town and threatened to shoot but my men disarmed him. Before we knew what was happening police invaded our office with four Hilux vans conveying armed policemen. Thank God we were able to handle the invasion.”
He said two of his men, Haruna Babayo and Ayuba Markus, were injured in the melee and were taken to hospital.
But the police have denied clashing with the NSCDC and invading their office. The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), ASP Mbasekei Mbeh, told our correspondent on phone that the NSCDC beat up a police officer when he went to their (NSCDC) office to ask questions about a case that was prosecuted in court by the police and discharged but NSCDC are now interested in making fresh arrests in the case. He however said the police officer went there unofficially.
Sunday Trust investigations revealed that a motor-cycle spare parts dealer was the accused in the said case which was prosecuted in court but not to the satisfaction of the complainant who wanted the NSCDC to take over the case and it was then that a plain clothes policeman went to NSCDC office to challenge their authority to prosecute but he was pushed out of the NSCDC premises.
An inside source told our correspondent that the policeman felt humiliated and went and set a trap for the NSCDC intelligence officer who was to handle the case of theft of a motor-cycle.
“A few minutes after the policeman left our office, the spare-parts dealer called the intelligence officer to meet him at his shop at the roadblock. The intelligence officer suspected the call as being a trap set for him by the police and he sent some plainclothes officers to go there and check. When they went there they confirmed his suspicion. Armed policemen were waiting at the shop for our officer to go there so that they will take, on him. We decided to go and arrest the spare parts dealer there and then. It was when he was arrested and about to be taken away that his police friend, an Inspector in mufti, came and pointed a pistol at the driver and threatened him not to move. When the driver ignited the engine, engaged gear and was about to skid off, the inspector shot at him, smashing the windscreens and grazing the driver’s arm. Out of sheer courage to save a colleague’s life, one of our men jumped down and hit the police officer from behind and the pistol dropped,” our anonymous source said.
Our correspondent gathered that the inspector was bundled into the NSCDC van together with the spare parts dealer and taken to custody at NSCDC state headquarters. It was then that the police mobilized and came to rescue their man.
Eye-witnesses said when the police arrived in the four Hilux vans well armed, they drove through the gate and started shooting teargas at NSCDC and the NSCDC would pick and throw back at them.
Edward Lenshie, a reporter with the Nigeria Sunrise had arrived at the NSCDC office at the time police invaded it and was caught up in the fracas.
“When I arrived the scene, the police were everywhere, throwing teargas and shooting in the air. I identified myself with my staff identity card but they seized it and started beating and chasing me like a criminal. A policeman wanted to hit me on the head with the butt of his gun but I blocked with my elbow. You can see the bruise I have here resulted from the attack,” he said.
He added that he was saved from further brutality by the police when a passing motorcyclist slowed down, beckoned on him to jump on and he did just that and they fled the scene of the clash.
Again, the PPRO denied that the police brutalized Lenshie. He said Lenshie was lying because there was confusion and so many people were there so he couldn’t have identified who beat him up.
However, the special assistant to the governor on security, Group Captain Sule Angyu, intervened and the pistol which to NSCDC disarmed the police inspector of, was collected and given back to the police and all those arrested in the fracas were released.
A five-member committee comprising the police, State Security Service, NSCDC, the judiciary and the SA security has been set up to look into the matter.