ASP accused of tying, shooting seven farmers to death

…two policemen dismissed for abduction, rape

The Adamawa Police Command, yesterday, confirmed the arrest of a policeman, alleged to have shot to death seven farmers in the state.

This was also as the Nasarawa State Police Command disclosed that it has dismissed Constable Yaseer Sani, for allegedly abducting a 14-year-old hawker, Halima Abdullahi and arrested Wisdom Yakubu, for allegedly raping an 11-year-old girl.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the arrest of the Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), who shot seven farmers, followed a petition by a Civil Society Organization (COS), Progressive Mind for Development Initiate.

The petition, signed by the President of the CSO, Abubakar Abdulsalam, alleged that the officer, committed the offence on November 23, 2017.

It indicated that the police officer, while in charge of Safer Highways Patrol Team, arrested the farmers who were working on their farms at the outskirts of Gombi town, tied and shot them to death.

The petition further alleged that the same officer had, on April 30, 2016, while in charge of a police outpost in Kem village, Shelleng Local Government Area of the state, killed four people suspected of committing robbery.

Abdulsalam said: “We as a concerned organization consider the act of the suspect (policeman) as an act against the provision of the Constitution and infringement on the fundamental rights of the people in question. If such act is not checked, it will continue to spread like wildfire and eventually Nigeria will be unsafe for its citizens.”

Spokesman of Adamawa Police Command, Othman Abubakar, said the policeman had been arrested and detained as investigation continues into the case.

Similarly, the Nasarawa State Police Public Relations Officer(PPRO), a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), Mr Kennedy Idirisu, yesterday in Lafia explained that  Sani, who abducted a teenager hawker, was dismissed after a disciplinary procedure had  been concluded.

Idirisu explained that the suspect was arrested in Angwan Reirei village following complaints from the victim’s guardian, Mr Umaru Saidu.

The girl was found in the house of the suspect when she left home to hawk soya beans on December 29, 2017.

Idirisu said that the command also arrested another suspect, Wisdom Yakubu, residing in Ombi II in Lafia on December 29, 2017 for allegedly raping 11-year-old girl.

The arrest followed a report by the victim’s uncle, Mr  Alheri Moses. Idirisu said that the command’s Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department had begun investigations into the two cases.

He said that  the  suspects would soon be arraigned in court. The PPRO added that the command had zero-tolerance for corruption and unprofessional conduct by police personnel.

He said: “The Command was determined to purge itself of bad eggs in line with  the vision of the Inspector-General of Police, Mr Ibrahim Idris. The Command is also using this medium to reassure members of the public, particularly those living in communities bordering Benue State of their safety. To ease the current public apprehension in the areas following the influx of people into Nasarawa State, the Commissioner of Police, CP Bello Ahmed, has ordered the relocation of the Area Commander Lafia and deployment of additional police personnel and vehicles for patrol and visibility policing in the affected communities.”

The image maker further urged members of the public to report any act capable of breaching public peace to the nearest police station or any of the following emergency numbers: 08108795930 08112692680 and 08123821571.