Police Vs Army: DHQ Sends Strong Warning To Nigerians

The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has warned Nigerians against comments that would pit the Nigeria Army against the Nigeria Police Force (NPF).

The DHQ gave the warning through its acting spokesperson, Colonel Onyema Nwachukwu.

Naija News reports that criticism had trailed the killing of three undercover policemen (Intelligence Response Team) and a civilian last week by soldiers on the Ibi-Wukari Road in Taraba State.

Reacting, Nwachukwu stated that concern should be geared at ensuring the joint panel constituted undertakes an exhaustive investigation.

Asked about the army captain alleged to have been responsible for the unauthorised shootings and release of the suspected kidnapper, Hamisu Bala Wadume, Nwachukwu said he was not aware of the source of the information.

He said: “That information did not come from me. Our concern is to allow the panel to do a thorough job and avoid comments that heat up the situation. We are trying to apply some restraint on this issue to avoid pitching the police against the army.

“These are two very important institutions in Nigeria and it will be most unfair to this nation to pit them against each other or the personnel of each service against the other.

“What is important is that lives have been lost and this is a difficult time for the families of the victims. We should be more concerned at looking into the human angles, the psychological traumas these families are going through.

“Our concern should be that the panel does an exhaustive investigation and gets to the bottom of the matter. So, I would not like to begin to make comments that would pre-empt the investigation or its outcome.”