Insecurity: Police officer allegedly kills two protesters in Bauchi

Operatives of the Yelwa Police Division of the Bauchi State Police Command on Friday had to use canisters of teargas to scare away hundreds of youths who blocked the Dass road in front of the Divisional headquarters to protest the alleged killing of two youths by a yet-to-be-named Police Officer.

The youths both males and females gathered in front of the Divisional headquarters burning tyres as well as using drums and water tanks to block the road forcing road users to divert into Yelwa, Kagadama in order to avoid the obstruction.

The youths were demanding 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.

The youths then started hurling stones and other objects into the station a development that forced the Policemen to start firing canisters of teargas into the crowd to disperse them, they however retreated and regrouped.

Available information has it that on Thursday, in the evening, there was a heated argument between some Police operatives who were said to be on patrol with a group of youths who are said to be ‘civilian police’ and were also on patrol of the Gwallameji area.

The heated argument led to force which made the Police officer allegedly bring out a dagger with which he used to stab three of the youths out of which two 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 a case of culpable homicide which happened at 10.30 pm on Thursday, where a member of the Force went berserk and used a dagger to stab three youths.

The PPRO of the Bauchi State Police Command, SP Ahmed Wakili in a telephone conversation said that “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 is where our men were on patrol and they had an encounter with a Police officer.”

According to him, “He was there at a black spot at Rafin Zurfi, an encounter occurred between him and the patrol team. The patrol team comprised of men of the Nigeria Police Force from the Yelwa Division and members of the security committee of the area.”

“During the encounter with them, he used a jackknife 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”, he 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.”

He also said that “Moreover, the Commissioner of Police has sympathized with the victims’ families. He is sending his condolences to their families and to the people of Bauchi State.”

He then urged members of the public to remain calm because the Officer will be tried, dismissed and charged to court for prosecution.

When asked about the identity of the Police officer, he said, “it is still sketchy, but he was there at the scene and he had an encounter with them. He has been arrested and is in Police custody.”