Skip to main content

Army vs police Taraba saga: Surviving policeman narrates how he escaped death



An inspector who survived the attack by soldiers on policemen in Taraba has explained how he escaped death by the whiskers - The wounded officer said what saved him from being killed was a counter order from one of the senior officers and the presence of villagers at the scene.

The officer further stated that he saw when the soldiers carried the arrested suspected kidnap kingpin into their Hilux van and drove away One of the surviving operatives of the Inspector General of Police Intelligence Response Team who were attacked by soldiers of the 93 battalion in Taraba state while taking a suspected kidnap kingpin to Jalingo, has given a blow-by-blow account of how he escaped death by the whiskers.


According to Vanguard, the operative, an inspector currently nursing a gunshot wound from the attack, disclosed that one of the soldiers had suggested that he be killed so as to truncate any evidence against them.

Legit.ng gathers that the wounded police officer, who was moved to Abuja for treatment, said what saved him from being killed was a counter order from one of the senior officers and the presence of villagers at the scene. He explained: “My escape from death was God’s divine intervention. We had succeeded in arresting the kidnap kingpin.

His legs and hands were cuffed and we put him in our vehicle as we drove off. “We passed the first and second check points successfully. Besides, when going, we greeted the soldiers at the check points and even offered one of them doughnut. But when we got to the third check point, we discovered that a military Hilux van was following us. “We were not driving fast; we were even waiting for them to overtake us when all of a sudden, they opened fire on our vehicle.

In the process, the vehicle somersaulted, a bullet hit me in the leg. But I struggled to run into the bush with some of my colleagues. From a distance, I watched how they (soldiers) killed my colleagues in execution style, even when they explained that they were policemen. “Thereafter, one of them said they should comb the bush for those that ran inside.

 I crawled in pains, and tried to hide but they caught up with me. One of them said they should shoot me dead, that if they left me alive, I would speak out. “But a lieutenant among them said they should take me to the hospital. I commend him because but for his counter order, I would have been killed as well. By then, villagers had come out and started videoing the process. “One of them even said it would be unwise to kill me since the villagers were also videoing the scene with their phones. I also saw when the soldiers carried the arrested suspect into their Hilux van and drove off.” 

Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that the Army captain who allegedly ordered soldiers on a security check-point along the Ibi-Jalingo expressway in Taraba state to attack and kill police operatives had been identified. Police investigation carried out revealed that telephone conversations between the kidnap kingpin, Alhaji Hamisu Balla, alias Wadume and the captain, were about 191 within the space of one month between July 9 and August 6. 

VANGUARD 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Taraba Governor Approves Cabinet Reshuffle, Redeploys Four Commissioners

Taraba State Governor, Dr. Agbu Kefas, has approved the immediate redeployment of four Commissioners serving in the State Executive Council as part of a cabinet reshuffle. The redeployment, contained in a press release dated August 26, 2026, and signed by the Secretary to the State Government, Chief Gebon Timothy Kataps, Esq., affects four ministries. Under the new arrangement, Hon. Peter George moves from the Ministry of Commerce, Trade and Industry to the Ministry of Water Management and Aquatic Affairs, while Hon. Daniel Ishaku is redeployed from Water Management and Aquatic Affairs to the Ministry of Waste Management and Resource Innovation. Also affected are Hon. Bernard Shonzen James Kassa, who moves from the Ministry of Waste Management and Resource Innovation to the Ministry of Social Development and Human Services, and Hon. Philip Habu James, who is redeployed from the Ministry of Social Development and Human Services to the Ministry of Commerce, Trade and Industry...

Jukun militia kills five Tiv farmers, injures woman in fresh attack

In Spite of interventions by stakeholders to broker peace between the Tiv and Jukun in Benue and Taraba states, five persons have been killed in fresh attacks on Gyenku in Ukum Local Government Area of Benue State. The Guardian learnt that the Jukun attacked farms to kill the victims.Confirming the incidence, Caretaker Chairman of Ukum Council, Tor-Tyokaa Iberlogo said five persons were killed on their farms, while a woman was seriously injured and is receiving treatment in an undisclosed hospital. On what becomes of the peace committee set up by Benue and Taraba states governments to ensure lasting peace and security in both states, Iberlogo said members of the committee would visit him next Monday for briefing. When contacted, Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Benue Command, DSP Sewuese Anene, said all efforts to get details from the Ukum Council Divisional Police Officer (DPO) and the Police Area Command failed. It would be recalled that the incidence took p...

Taraba Government: Curfew Relaxed by Two Hours

The fourteen hours curfew imposed by the Taraba State Government on Jalingo metropolis and surrounding villages at the wake of the fulani herdsmen evasion of some communities has been relaxed by two hours. This was contained in a press release signed by the Deputy Chief Press Secretary to the Executive Governor, Mr. Iliya Bekyu Akweh. Accordingly, the approved timing of the curfew is now 6pm to 6am as against the initial 4pm to 6pm daily. To this end, the state government is again appealing to the security agencies in the state to ensure enforcement of the curfew. Residents of Jalingo the state’s capital and surrounding villages especially those at the areas affected by the crisis are hereby directed to ensure strict compliance.