Four dismissed soldiers have been arrested for the alleged murder of an operative of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in Niger.
The police public relation officer of Niger command, SP Waisu Abiodun, told journalists on Saturday that the incident happened on March 9 around Ramat junction in Bida Local Government Area.
He said, ”On March 9, at about 6:20 p.m., a team of NDLEA officers were on stop-and-search at Ramat Junction, Bida when two suspected soldiers not in uniform, on a motorcycle were intercepted.
”The team requested their identifications, but the suspected soldiers did not provide a proper means of identification, and nothing incriminating was found on them.
”In the course of the search, there was an altercation, after which the suspects left the scene, returned with additional men reinforced to the scene and allegedly attacked NDLEA officers.”
Mr Abiodun said during the fight, an officer of the NDLEA named Kingsley Chimetalo was stabbed in the back with a Jack-knife by one of the suspects, and his rifle was taken away.
The spokesman said the injured officer was taken to the Federal Medical Centre in Bida, where he was later confirmed dead by a doctor.
He said the police operatives attached to ‘A’ Division Bida immediately swung into the investigation, and the deceased rifle was recovered in a nearby bush where it was dumped without a magazine.
Mr Abioudn said the investigation was conducted in collaboration with 18 Brigade, Nigeria Army Bida, and led to the identification of six soldiers who were court-martialed and dismissed while two of them escaped.
He named the suspects Sani Munzani and Abubakar Auwalu from Kano state, Abubakar Sani from Kebbi and Muazu Hassan from Edo.
He said the suspects were handed over to the police on Monday for prosecution, where Mr Munzani confessed to the stabbing of the deceased NDLEA officer.
Mr Abiodun said the suspects were under investigation in SCID Minna and would be charged to court for prosecution as soon as the investigation was concluded.
(NAN)