Police arrest four soldiers over ‘murder of NDLEA officer’

The Niger state police command has arrested four soldiers over the alleged murder of an official of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).

The soldiers were subsequently dismissed by the army.

Speaking with NAN on Saturday, Wasiu Abiodun, the state police spokesperson, said the incident occurred on March 9 around Ramat junction in Bida LGA.

He said two suspected soldiers got into an altercation with NDLEA officers before the attack.

“On March 9, at about 6:20pm, 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,” Abiodun said.

“The team requested for their identifications, which 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 and allegedly attacked NDLEA officers.”

Abiodun added that during the fight, Kingsley Chimetalo, an official of the NDLEA, was stabbed on the back with a jack-knife by one of the suspects and his rifle taken away.

The spokesman said the injured officer was taken to the Federal Medical Centre in Bida, where he was later confirmed dead.

He said the police operatives attached to ‘A’ Division Bida immediately commenced investigation, with the deceased’s rifle recovered in a nearby bush where it was dumped without a magazine.

Abiodun said the names of the suspects are 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, adding that Munzani confessed to the stabbing of the NDLEA officer.

Abiodun said the suspects are under investigation in SCID Minna and would be prosecuted soon.