Juliana Francis
Four operatives of the
Inspector-General of Police (IG) Special Intelligence Response Team are
presently battling to stay alive in an undisclosed hospital after being
attacked Indian hemp smoking suspects.
The four operatives, who were on interstate
investigations, were attacked at Ogoja, Cross Rivers State with machetes,
stones and other weapons. They were attacked on April 17.
According to a police source,
trouble for the operatives started after they embarked on an investigation,
which started from Lagos State, leading them to Benue State and then Ogoja in
Cross Rivers State. The operatives were trying to recover a stolen Toyota
Sienna Bus from a car receiver, identified as Ikenga. The men were left with
machetes cuts and now battling to live.
The operatives were deployed from
the Lagos Annex office of the IRT to Cross Rivers State, to track and recover
the stolen vehicle, belonging to Master Chapel, a church based in Lagos State.
It was gathered that the vehicle was
snatched at gunpoint by a four man gang of armed robbers, later identified
simply as Peter, Ben, Ebuka and Johnson, on November 8, 2018, taken to Benue
State and sold to Ikenga for the sum of N250, 000.
A source said: “After the IRT
operatives got reports of the robbery, they commenced investigations and
arrested the four suspects. They confessed to the robbery, including several
others. One of them led the operatives to Benue State, where the vehicle was
sold. Investigations showed that the vehicle has been moved into Ogoja Town, by
Ikenga.”
The operatives, on arriving at
Ogoja, made their presence known to the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in
charge of Ogoja Police Station and the Area Commander.
But on arrival at the the location
where Ikenga was with the vehicle, they were attacked by thugs armed with
cutlass and other dangerous objects.
“The operatives weren’t expecting
Ikenga and the thugs around him to be hostile. The policemen came peacefully.
They introduced themselves to Ikenga. The operatives could not use their fire
arms as they were being attacked and inflicted with machete wounds because they
didn’t want a twist to the incident if any member of the thug was killed during
the melee,” said a source.
The source continued: “The
operatives could have killed members of the thugs attacking them with their
fire arm but if that has happened; the story wouldn’t have been the same today.
What you would have heard would have been different from what actually
happened.”
The operatives managed to escape to
the Ogoja Police Station. They were rushed to Markurdi General Hospital, Benue
State, while Ikenga successfully escaped with the robbed Toyota Sienna Bus.
It was gathered that three of the
operatives have been discharge from the hospital, but one of them, identified
as Julius, who sustained the most serious injury is still receiving treatment at
the hospital in Markudi.
A source explained in detail: “It
all started on November 8, 2018 after a Toyota Sienna Space-bus, belonging to
Master Chapel Church in Lagos State was stolen. I understand that IRT operatives
were ordered to follow up the case and catch those behind the stolen bus. IRT operatives
arrested four principal suspects one Peter, Ben, Ebuka and Johnson. The team was
eventually. The receiver, Ikenga was traced to Ogoja town where he was found
with the Toyota Sienna stolen in Lagos. The operatives approached and told him
that he was under arrest for being in possession of a stolen car. The
operatives showed him their identity cards. The suspect immediately shouted in
his native tongue, calling on his men to attack the operatives. The attackers,
who were smoking Indian hemp nearby swooped on the detectives with cutlasses and
knives. Detectives would have easily used their rifles to defend themselves,
but they knew that the story of the incident would be twisted and also for the
fact that other innocent citizens around may be affected. The operatives decided
not to use their firearms. The team escaped from the scene with Inspector Julius
seriously injured. He had been stabbed several times and fell unconscious. IRT operatives
rushed to Ogoja Police Station were reinforcements were sent to the scene,
while the injured operatives were rushed to hospital in Ogoja, from where they
were referred to Teaching Hospital Makurdi, Benue State. It was at the Teaching
Hospital Makurdi that all the detectives were admitted for treatment.”
It was heard that serious efforts
are ongoing to arrest the fleeing Ikenga and the thugs that attacked the police
team.
The incident occurred just days
after the IGP, Mohammed Adamu, warned policemen against indiscriminate use of
firearms.
Indeed, Adamu warned “The line
supervisors of such officer, including the area commander, divisional police
officer or sectional head shall be held vicariously liable for lacking
supervision and shall be sanctioned. This is the force policy and no one should
be in doubt as to our strong will to enforce it.”
No doubt, this threat checked the
IRT retaliation, leading to them being injured.
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