….Buhari Urged To Set Up Judicial Panel Of Inquiry
By Eseoghene Emuke
The Centre for the Vulnerable and the Underprivileged (CENTREP) has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to quickly institute a judicial panel of inquiry into the killing of three policemen attached to IGP Intelligence Response Team and a civilian by soldiers of the 93 Battalion, Takum, Taraba State.
In a statement on Sunday signed by the Executive Director of the CENTREP, Mr Oghenejabor Ikimi, said the recommendations of the panel would help deter such future occurrences among security agencies in the country.
The policemen and a civilian were reportedly killed by soldiers of the 93 Battalion, Takum, following the arrest of one Alhaji Hamisu who was indicted in series of high profile kidnap incidents in the state.
Ikimi, while condemning the incident, blamed the clash leading to the killing of the victims on the lack of synergy in the nation’s security agencies.
He added that the lack of synergy was responsible for the growing and worsening insecurity in the country.
The statement accused the federal government of trivializing incident, adding that the orders given by the presidency to the Defence Headquarters to investigate the killings was not enough.
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According to it, “We make bold to say that the above is one of the numerous reasons behind the worsening state of insecurity in our Country which is being fuelled courtesy of lack of synergy, inter Agency rivalry and sabotage amongst our security outfits nationwide and there is the urgent need for all security outfits to work together to abate violent crimes in our polity.
“We believe that the marching orders given to the Defence Headquarters by the Presidency to investigate the above incident is an indication that the Presidency is trivializing a sensitive issue such as lack of synergy, inter Agency rivalry and sabotage amongst her security outfits nationwide.
“The outcome of the above investigation like previous ones initiated in the past would no doubt be swept under the carpet, hence our call for a judicial panel of inquiry to investigate the immediate and remote causes of the above incidence and to proffer solutions to prevent a re-occurrence in the nearest future.”
CENTREP, while commiserating with the families of the victims, charged the federal government to ensure that justice was served to the deceased whom the police authorities described as some of the best intelligence officers in the country.
“We are not oblivious of the killing of a DPO and his DCO by Soldiers at a Police station in Badagry, Lagos State in the year 2011. The above incident was published in our national dailies and till date no panel of enquiry was set up to investigate the above killings as the entire incident was buried under the carpet.
“Many more infractions between Soldiers and the Police have since occurred thereafter but in all, the incidents were swept under the carpet, hence our above clarion call.
“We condemn the said killings and we call on the Federal Government to institute a judicial panel of inquiry into same with a view to avoiding a repeat performance in the near future and to compensate the families of the fallen operatives and civilian”, the statement further added.
