Soldiers are called “kill and go” in local parlance. This unflattering description speaks volumes about how they operate, and what the public thinks about how they operate.
But the 10 soldiers accused of killing policemen who had arrested alleged kidnap kingpin Bala Hamisu, also known as Wadume, in Taraba State, should not be allowed to get off scot-free if they are guilty.
It is curious that the soldiers were not in court on June 8 and 22, to face trial with Wadume and others who were arraigned.
The police operatives had arrested Wadume , in Ibi, Taraba State, and were taking him to Jalingo, the state capital, in a bus, when soldiers at a checkpoint allegedly killed them.
The police had described the trio of Inspector Mark Ediale, Sergeant Usman Danzumi and Sergeant Dahiru Musa, as one of the “best and most highly trained IRT teams” in the country.
The police said the soldiers had opened fire on the officers, who were members of the Intelligence Response Team (IRT) of Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Mohammed Adamu , despite proof that they were on legitimate duty.
The killing of these three police detectives, and two civilians, allegedly by soldiers of the 93 Battalion of the Nigerian Army, Takum, Taraba State, happened on August 6, 2019.
Wadume had escaped. When he was re-arrested in Kano State two weeks later, he said the soldiers “took me to their headquarters and cut off the handcuffs from my hands and set me free.”
In a shocking confession, he revealed that he carried out his criminal activities in collaboration with soldiers and policemen, including an army captain who allegedly ordered the attack on the IRT operatives, which led to his escape.
Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice Abubakar Malami (SAN), in a statement by his media assistant, Umar Jubrilu Gwandu, said the accused soldiers were unavailable for trial because they “need to be released by the military authorities.”
The military authorities have not clarified the situation. Why have the accused soldiers not been released for the trial at the Federal High Court, Abuja? This should not be a case of kill and go scot-free.
A human rights lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN), acting on behalf of the family of one of the killed policemen, Inspector Mark Ediale, had in a letter to the AGF dated June 15, 2020, demanded the arrest and prosecution of the accused soldiers within seven days. Falana threatened to take “appropriate action” if this did not happen.
The story is developing. This should not be a case of kill and go scot-free.
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