Murder of IRT operatives by soldiers: Army captain allegedly arrested

Following the killing of three officers of the Inspector General of Police, IGP, Intelligence Response Team, IRT, in Taraba State by soldiers who freed a kidnap kingpin, the army captain, who allegedly gave the order for their elimination has been arrested.

However, a source in the Army said last night that based on suspicion that the captain ordered the killing of the IRT operatives, he was only invited by the panel set up to investigate the incident for questioning. This is just as Vanguard gathered that the kidnap kingpin/suspect is a philanthropist who allegedly compromised some of the soldiers stationed in the area where the police operatives were killed.

Security sources disclosed that the captain ordered his men to shoot the bus carrying the police officers, with an instruction that no policeman must escape and that the suspect, Alhaji Hamisu Bala Wadume, should be freed.

The source said: “Our colleagues (police operatives) also exchanged pleasantries with the army personnel at the checkpoint before they pursued them on the captain’s instruction and fired at them.”

Sources close to the investigators disclosed that the order to attack the policemen was given by the army captain. But when returning with the suspect, the same soldiers seen earlier at one of the check points pulled the triggers that ended the lives of three of the policemen.