...DHQ panel recommends sanction for army captain, five
others
The Nigerian military authorities said on Tuesday that negotiations
with bandits initiated by governors of the North-west states were political and
not a military decision.
This is as the panel set up by the Defence
Headquarters (DHQ) to unravel the circumstances surrounding the killing of three
police detectives and two civilians by soldiers of 93 Battalion, Takum, Taraba
State, recommended sanctions for Captain Tijani Balarabe and four others for
their involvement in the shooting of the police detectives and civilians.
It also cited poor communication and lack of adherence
to a standard operating procedure as the cause of the brutal killing of the
policemen.
The Nigerian Army also said it would formally resume
Operation Positive Identification begun in the North-east to track fleeing
terrorists in the rest of the country. The operation would entail travelers
identifying themselves with their national identity cards, international
passports and official workplace identity cards.
It said it would commence Operation Python Dance IV,
Crocodile Smile IV and Exercise Ayem Akpatuma II in the South-east, South-south
and North-central geopolitical zones as a way of checkmating crime and
criminality in those areas from November 1 to December 23.
Addressing a press conference at the Nigerian Army
Headquarters in Abuja, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen. Tukur Buratai, said the
negotiation embarked upon by governors of the North-west was a political
decision as the military remained committed to flushing out bandits in the
North.
“Negotiations with bandits by governors are a means of
resolving disputes. The decision by governors to negotiate governors is not a
military decision. It is political. It is war by other means.
“We will toe the line of continuing to deal with those
bandits. We have nothing against the bandits if peace is restored but
ultimately, it is a political decision,” the army chief, who spoke through the
Director of Army Training and Operations, Major General EO Udo, said.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the Defence
Headquarters said the panel recommended the sanctions for the army captain in
charge of the Ibi-Wukari Road checkpoint and five others where the shooting
took place.
The statement issued by Defence Spokesman, Col. Onyema
Nwachukwu, said panel recommended that the Nigerian Army and the Nigerian
Police should further investigate Captain Tijani Balarabe, Sergeant Ibrahim
Mohammed, Corporal Bartholomew Obanye, DCO Ibi Police Division, Assistant
Superintendent of Police Aondoona Iorbee, and Inspector Aliyu Dadje for
complacency and necessary disciplinary measures.
It was also recommended that further investigation be
conducted on Hamisu Bala for gunrunning and possibly kidnapping, in order to prosecute the suspect.
“Following the directive of the Commander-in-Chief of
the Armed Forces, President Muhammadu Buhari for an immediate investigation
into the unfortunate incident that led to the killing of three Nigerian Police
Force (NPF) personnel and two civilians by troops of the Nigerian Army (NA)
along Ibi-Wukari Road in Taraba State, the Chief of Defence Staff General AG
Olonisakin constituted a Board of Inquiry (BOI) to investigate the incident.
The 7 member BOI led by Rear Admiral Ibikunle Taiwo Olaiya as chairman,
comprised one representative each from the Defence Headquarters, Nigerian Army,
Nigerian Navy, Nigerian Air Force, Defence Intelligence Agency, Nigeria Police
and Department of State Service”, the statement said.
It said: “After a thorough and painstaking
investigation into the incident, the BOI submitted its report to the convening
authority observing that, there were infractions and poor communication between
personnel of the NPF and troops of the NA. It was also observed that there was
non-adherence to the Standard Operating Procedure by both parties involved in
the incident. It further made some recommendations to the NA and NPF to
forestall future reoccurrence and bring anyone culpable to book in accordance
with extant laws.
“The alleged Hummer bus mentioned in the distress call
however conveyed Police personnel of the IGP-IRT who were on a legitimate duty
in Taraba State. Also, military checkpoints in the area were deployed by troops
of Headquarters 93 Battalion, Takum, who were equally on legitimate duty to
checkmate communal clashes, kidnapping and armed robbery, which were prevalent
threats in Wukari Ibi area”.
The statement read in part: “You will recall that on 6
August 2019, reports of the sad killing of 3 police men and 2 civilians in Ibi
Local Government Area of Taraba State by troops of the NA broke out. This gave
rise to serious concern by the Federal government, the military and police high
command.
“The incident started from Ibi town, following an
alarm alleging the kidnap of one Alhaji Hamisu Bala (aka Wadume) by some
individuals in a Hummer bus. Captain Tijani Balarabe informed all military
checkpoints along Ibi-Wukari Road, who sprang into action”, it said.
DHQ said: “Additionally, the BOI recommended that the
services and other security agencies establish an interagency liaison desk to
include senior officers for timely resolution of future misdemeanor.
“The Defence Headquarters once again assures the
public that the Armed Forces of Nigeria and other security agencies are working
in synergy to tackle contemporary security challenges be-deviling the nation.”
On Operation Positive identification, which was first
launched in the North-east to tack fleeing terrorists, Buratai said it was an
extension of what is obtainable in the North-east.
He said the operation is not aimed at targeting
innocent people but “quick profiling aimed at pre-empting criminal activities
in peaceful areas of the country.”
On Python Dance IV and Crocodile Smile IV, he said the
operations were not targeted at any individual or group. Buratai, however,
insisted that the military would take advantage of the exercise to deal with
security threats in the zones.
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