The National Security Council has ordered an investigation into Tuesday’s killing of three police intelligence officers by soldiers at a checkpoint in Ibi, Taraba State as the police are seeking answers to why soldiers allegedly killed the three officers who were on a covert operation in Taraba State.

The slain cops led by an Assistant Superintendent of Police, Felix Adolije, of the Intelligence Response Team, were said to be part of operatives who rescued the District Head of Daura, Alhaji Musa Umar in Kano State and arrested 13 suspects involved in his abduction in Daura, Katsina State, on May 1, 2019.

In a statement on Thursday by the Force Public Relations Officer, Mr Frank Mba, the police demanded to know the whereabouts of a notorious kidnap suspect, Hamisu Bala Wadume.

Earlier, Mr Mba explained that the slain officers – Inspector Mark Edaile, Sergeant Usman Danzumi, and Sergeant Dahiru Musa – were on a mission to arrest Wadume who was said to be indicted in a series of high-profile kidnap incidents in the state.

He added that while the suspect was arrested, the policemen were killed by soldiers after which they allegedly freed him.

In a statement, the Nigerian Army gave its own account of the story, saying the soldiers believed the policemen were kidnappers after receiving a distress call about an abduction.

But the police disagreed with the army’s claim that the shootout that took place was a mistake owing to the failure of the Force to carry the soldiers along on the covert operation.

They also asked pertinent questions which they said would unravel the mystery behind the killings of the three security operatives.

The police wondered how a kidnap suspect properly restrained with handcuffs could escape.

They also demanded to know why he was not taken to the army base for documentation purposes and debriefing, in line with the standard operating procedure since he was declared a kidnap victim.

The statement reads in full:

The attention of the Nigeria Police Force has been drawn to the Press Release by the Nigerian Army dated 07 August 2019, seeking to justify the unprovoked and unwarranted murder of three (3) Police officers and one (1) Civilian, and serious injury to other operatives, who were on legitimate criminal investigation activities to Taraba State, to arrest one Alhaji Hamisu Bala Wadume indicted in a series of high-profile kidnap incidents in the State.

In the best tradition of Esprit de Corps, Inter-Agency Harmony and National Interest, the Nigeria Police Force would naturally have kept quiet, but it has become imperative to set the record straight by addressing the obvious distortion of facts inherent in the Press Release by the Nigerian Army.

The most important question arising from the Nigerian Army Press Release is: Where is Alhaji Hamisu Bala Wadume? Alhaji Hamisu Bala Wadume is a millionaire kidnapper arrested by the Police but paradoxically treated as a ‘‘kidnap victim’’ by the Soldiers and subsequently ‘rescued’ by them. Where is he? Where is the rescued kidnapper?

Secondly, the Press Release was silent on the source of the alleged distress report or identity of the complainant, on the strength of whose report, the Army claimed had informed their decision to engage in the purported chase and rescue operation.

Needless to state that in the true spirit of transparency and accountability, the Nigerian Army ought to have arrested the purported distress caller – if any – for obviously and deliberately furnishing them with false and misleading information. Besides, such arrest should in fact be made public!

Thirdly, it is not true that the Policemen failed to identify themselves as alleged in the Press Release.

The video on the incident, now viral, wherein the voice of one of the soldiers was heard loudly proclaiming that the Policemen were from the Force Headquarters, Abuja speaks volume.

Besides, the presence of the IRT personnel was well known to the Taraba Police Command as the Operatives officially and properly documented not only at the State Command Headquarters but also at the Wukari Area Command and the Ibi Divisional Headquarters.

As a matter of fact, some of the Detectives from the Taraba State Command’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID) were part of the operation.

The Force also considers it insensitive, disrespectful and unpatriotic for the Press Release by the Army to continue to describe Policemen on lawful National Assignment as ‘suspected kidnappers’ long after it had become crystal clear to the Army that these are Law Enforcement Officers who unfortunately were gruesomely murdered in the line of duty by Nigerian soldiers attached to 93 Battalion, Takum.

In the final analysis, we leave the Nigerian Army authorities to provide Nigerians with answers on the following questions emanating from their Press Release:

* Where is the notorious kidnapper, Alhaji Hamisu Bala Wadume ‘rescued’ by the soldiers?

* How and why was Alhaji Hamisu Bala Wadume released by the soldiers?

* How could a kidnap suspect properly restrained with handcuffs by the Police escape from the hands of his military rescuers?

* If Alhaji Hamisu Bala Wadume is a ‘‘victim of kidnap’’ as claimed, and properly rescued by soldiers, why was he not taken to the Army Base for documentation purposes and debriefing in line with the Standard Operating Procedure in the Nigerian Army?

*  Why were the Police Operatives shot at close range even after they had identified themselves as Police Officers on legitimate duty as evident in the video now in circulation?