By; MOHAMMED KAWU, Bauchi
Bauchi State Commissioner of Police, CP Umar Mamman Sanda has ordered full scale investigations into the alleged killing of two members of a security committee, Abdulmalik Mohammed and One Sadiq by a police officer, F/No. 519342 PC Lukman Madaki at Rafin Zurfi area of Yelwa, a suburb of Bauchi metropolis.
Commissioner of Police commiserated with the families of the deceased, and the people of Bauchi State over the unfortunate incident. He has ordered a full scale investigation into the matter and appeals for calm while urging members of the public not to take laws into their hands as the outcome of the investigation will be made public.
A statement by the Police Public Relations Officer of the Bauchi State Police Command, SP. Ahmed Wakil said that the suspected police officer has since been arrested and detained in a police custody while investigation has commenced in earnest.
“On 24/03/2022 at about 2230hrs, a Patrol team attached to E’ Division while on visibility patrol around a black spot at Rafin zurfi, Yelwa arrested F/no. 519342 PC Lukman Madaki 29yrs of Toro Division attached to Sports Office, Bauchi State Police Command Headquarters”.
According to the statement, “In a bid to resist arrest, PC Lukman employed the use of Jack knife, stabbed and injured the following members of the Peace and Security committee attached to the patrol team”.
SP Wakil who gave the victims as Abdulmalik Mohammed 22 yrs of sabon gida yelwa, sadiq 23yrs of Sabon Gida Yelwa and, Nazifi Mohammed 19yrs of Yelwan labourer, said that they were rushed to ATBU Teaching Hospital Bauchi for treatment where Abdulmalik Mohammed and Sadiq were certified dead by a medical doctor, while Nazifi Mohammed the third victim is currently responding to treatment.
CP Umar Sanda, while urging members of the public not to take laws into their hands, also enjoins citizens of the state to remain law abiding and to continue to assist the Command to fight crime in the state by promptly reporting any incident, assured the public of his commitment in the fight against criminality in accordance to the law in the State.
It could be recalled that operatives of the Yelwa Police Division of the Bauchi State Police Command had on Friday used canisters of teargas to scare away hundreds of youths who blocked the Dass road in front of the Divisional headquarters to protest alleged killing of two youths by the Police Officer.
The youths both males and females gathered in front of the Divisional headquarters burning tyres as well as used drums and water tanks to block the road forcing road users to divert into Yelwa, Kagadama in order to avoid the obstruction.
The youths who were demanding for the release of the killer cop to them trying to force their ways into the station, a move that was resisted by the policemen on duty, so they started hurling stones and other objects into the station, the development that forced the policemen to start firing canisters of teargas into the crowd to disperse them, they however retreated and regrouped.
The heated arguments led to force which made the police officer to allegedly bring out dagger with which he stabbed three of the youths out of which 2 were confirmed dead at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital (ATBUTH).
Reacting to the development, Bauchi State Police Command described it as quite an unfortunate incident, confirming that “A case of culpable homicide which happened at 10.30pm on Thursday where a member of the Force went berserk and used dagger to stab three youths.
The PPRO of the Bauchi State Police Command, SP Ahmed Wakili in a telephone conversation shortly after the unfortunate incident said, “As you are aware, the Commissioner of Police ordered all DPOs and Area Commanders to constantly clamp down on red zones that tend to give residents sleepless nights”.
He added that, “So, the DPOs and the Area Commanders have taken their area of responsibilities, they are going round to clamp down on those red zones. Part of the red zones are where our men were on patrol and they had an encounter with a police officer”.
“During the encounter with them, he used a jack knife and injured three among them. The Police later rushed the three people namely, Nazif Mohammed (19) of Yelwan Lebura, Abdulmalik Mohammed (22) of Sabon Gidan Yelwa and Sadik (second name yet unknown) (23) also of Sabon Gidan Yelwa, to the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Teaching Hospital, where a medical doctor certified two of them dead”, PPRO said.
The PPRO added that, “The Officer who perpetrated this dastardly act was arrested and is in our custody. The Commissioner of Police has directed that the officer should be arrested and thoroughly investigated”.
