Soldiers Behind Killing Of IRT Police Officers In Taraba Moved To Abuja

The three felled galant officers

The arrested soldiers involved in the shootings of three Policemen on official duty in Taraba State who were being detained in Takum  were moved to Abuja, according to the top police source on Monday night.

The police source added that some police officers from Ibi division and other civilians who arrived early at the scene of the incident were also moved to Abuja to furnish the seven-man joint investigation panel about what transpired during the incident.

President Muhammadu Buhari had ordered the Defence headquarters to set up the panel to probe into the tragedy.


The top police officer based in Taraba State but was attached to the IGP investigative team said that the Army Captain from 93 Ada Barracks Takum who ordered the killings was called for questioning during the visit of the team.

He said, “The soldiers who killed the three police officers and the two civilians have been moved to Abuja. I can’t tell how many are they, but they were moved alongside some police officers attached to Ibi division and some early callers at the scene who have useful information regarding the incident.

“From the video which we perused during the visit to Ibi, which I believe you also saw on the social media, one of the police officers was trying to identify himself with his ID card that they were police officers, yet they went ahead and shot at him.

“It’s really unfortunate, we have to calm our boys or else we would have had another incident this time police shooting soldiers while we were in Ibi. Five of those killed have been taken to Abuja too for autopsy,” he said.

He, however, could not confirm whether the captain was also taken to Abuja.

The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, ASP.  David Misal, who declined comments on the issue, however, said five of those killed have been moved to Abuja.

“All the information you need now is with the Force PRO in Abuja, so there is little I can tell you,” he said.

However, a senior police officer in the Force headquarters in Abuja confirmed that some suspects including soldiers arrested in Taraba State had been moved to the Force Criminal Investigation Department, Abuja.

The source, however, could not provide the number of the suspects.

As of the time of filing this report it was gathered that two military checkpoints along the Ibi-Wukari Road had been dismantled.

It was also gathered that the Police intelligence team who are trailing the fleeing kidnap kingpin have traced his location to Lafia, Nasarawa State, where he allegedly withdrew money from an ATM.