In Taraba State, a commission of inquiry has been set up into the circumstances that led to the shooting and killing of two policemen, injuring of others and a soldier after a clash between members of the two security agencies.
The Police Command said that two of its operatives were killed, among others injured in an early morning shooting that erupted between soldiers and policemen in the state.
Briefing journalists on Monday at the State Police Command Headquarters in Jalingo, the state capital, the Police Public Relations Officer, Usman Abdullahi, said two policemen were killed during the gun fight.
He added that two other policemen also suffered gunshot wounds of varying severity and were being treated at the state specialty hospital and the Jalingo police clinic.
The ongoing collation of election results in the state was temporarily suspended by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, due to the prolonged exchange of gunfire that also put business operations into a halt.
The PPRO gave an account as he witnessed a part of it: “On my way to the office, I came across a scuffle between the military officers that mounted checkpoints on the entrance of the INEC office as it used to be when election results are being collated.
“The situation started when a female police officer who was reporting for duty at the INEC state headquarters in Jalingo was stopped by a military man at a checkpoint close to the headquarters and asked for her proper identification.
“While we were trying to settle things and I was personally talking to one of the senior soldiers there, the soldiers suddenly started shooting. We were caught in the crossfire and had to run for our dear lives. The soldiers proceeded to the command headquarters here and shot two police officers and went away with their rifles.
“One police officer who was going off duty was shot and killed instantly while another who was just reporting for duty and did not even know what was happening was also shot the moment they identified him as a policeman.
“As we speak, we have gotten reports that our men who are escorting election results in various duties have been stopped at military checkpoints and harassed. They strip them naked and harass them even though they knew nothing about what happened.
“For now, the Commissioner of Police, Yusuf A. Suleiman and the Commander of 6 Brigade Jalingo have met and discussed and have agreed that a commission of enquiry will be set up to look into the real cause of this incident.”
