The Niger State Police Command has confirmed the arrest and detention of four suspected ex-soldiers by the State Command of the National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency in Minna, the state capital, over allegations of culpable homicide.
The confirmation was made in a press statement issued and made available to journalists on Friday in Minna by the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) of the State Police Command, SP Wasiu Abiodun.
According to the statement, “On 09/03/2024 at about 1820hrs, a team of NDLEA officers were on stop and search duty at Ramat Junction, Bida, in the Bida local government area of the state, when two suspected soldiers, who were not in uniform, arrived on a motorcycle and were intercepted by the NDLEA team.”
The statement further noted, “The team requested identification, but the suspected soldiers could not provide proper identification. Their bag was searched, but nothing incriminating was found.
“During this process, an argument and altercation ensued. After the search, the suspected soldiers left the scene and returned with additional men, who reinforced the scene for an alleged attack.”
Abiodun added that, unfortunately, during the fight, an NDLEA officer named Kingsley Chimetalo was stabbed in the back with a jack-knife by one of the suspects, and his rifle was taken away.
The statement further narrated that the injured NDLEA officer was taken to the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) Bida, where he later succumbed to his injuries and was confirmed dead by medical personnel on duty.
It added that, during the investigation by police operatives attached to ‘A’ Division Bida, the officer’s rifle was later recovered in a nearby bush where it had been dumped without a magazine.
The statement stressed that, “During the painstaking investigation in collaboration with the 18 Brigade, Nigeria Army Bida, six soldiers were later identified, court-martialed, and dismissed, while two of them escaped.”
The four suspects were identified as:
- Sani Munzani, 24, of Kano State
- Abubakar Auwalu, 26, of Kano State
- Abubakar Sani, 23, of Kebbi State
- Muazu Hassan, 22, of Edo State
Meanwhile, the four suspects were handed over to the police on 20/05/2024 for prosecution, with the first suspect, Sani Munzani, confessing to the stabbing of the deceased.
The PPRO, SP Wasiu Abiodun, assured that “All suspects are under investigation in SCID Minna and will be charged to court for prosecution as soon as the investigation is concluded.”
