Police in Bauchi State on Thursday urged residents to remain calm after a soldier was shot dead by a mobile police officer during a clash at a checkpoint in the state.
Commissioner of Police Sani Omolori-Aliyu, speaking through spokesperson CSP Ahmed Wakil, said an inter-agency investigation had been launched into the incident.
According to a police account, the confrontation occurred on Aug. 25 when a soldier of the 33 Artillery Brigade, Bauchi, was fatally shot after his unit pursued a truck that failed to stop at a checkpoint in Futuk village.
“Upon stopping the truck, Insp. Yusuf Ibrahim, a mobile police officer, exited his vehicle and opened fire on the guard commander, striking him in the abdomen,” Omolori-Aliyu said.
The soldier, identified as Master Warrant Officer Ali Haruna, was rushed to Gombe Specialist Hospital but died from his injuries. Soldiers at the scene reportedly overpowered the policeman and disarmed him.
Omolori-Aliyu said preliminary investigations showed the truck was linked to Guruje Mining Company Limited and ZURFI Company Limited, which held valid mining licences in Gwana, Alkaleri Local Government Area, and had paid statutory fees to the Federal Ministry of Mines and Steel Development.
The commissioner added that mobile police officers were formally assigned to provide security for expatriates and operations of the mining firms. “Insp. Ibrahim was among those assigned to this duty,” he said.
The Nigerian Army and police authorities have both pledged to investigate the circumstances surrounding the killing.
NAN