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Wadume: ‘I Was Fired At Inside The Bush’ – Police Who Survived Attack

A police officer who survived attack by soldiers while conveying Wadume out of Taraba State has revealed how he escaped the attack.

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Hamisu Bala
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Inspector Sanni Habeeb, a member of the Intelligence Response Team, has revealed how he survived the attack by soldiers who killed three policemen and two civilians during Wadume’s apprehension in Taraba State.

The 38-year-old inspector noted that the military men attached to Battalion 93 shot the driver of the Toyota bus conveying seven policemen, two civilians and the kidnap kingpin, Bala Hamisu, popularly known as Wadume, causing the vehicle to somersault three times.

Habeeb further stated that the soldiers after causing the crash searched for him in the surrounding bush for hours in an attempt to kill him.

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The Inspector stated this in a statement released to the Joint Investigation Panel set up by the Chief of Defence Staff to investigate the attack on policemen and two civilians by the troops commanded by Capt. Tijjani Balarabe on August 6, 2019.

The statement read in part, “I saw the Nigerian Army truck following and shooting at us indiscriminately and our driver was hit by a bullet. He lost control of the vehicle, which somersaulted more than twice.”

“I quickly came out through the window and ran into the bush but the soldiers fired at me; I hid in the bush, leaving my AK-47 rifle behind in the bus. They searched for me in the bush; so, I quickly removed my IRT jacket and cap and threw them away.”

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Habeeb revealed that he evades his pursuers and trekked for three hours to the Area Command, Wukari, from where he was taken to the hospital.

He stated, “I trekked from the scene of the shooting to Wukari Area Command for three hours and some policemen rushed me to the hospital, where I met my colleagues who were critically injured and were being attended to by the doctors.”

“I saw Inspector Mark Ediale shot in the stomach and Insp. Abba Mathias who was shot in the leg.”

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Wadume had identified Balarabe and nine other soldiers as his accomplices. They are Staff Sgt. David Isaiah; Sgt. Ibrahim Mohammed; Corporal Bartholomew Obanye; Private Mohammed Nura; Lance Corporal Okorozie Gideon and Corporal Markus Michael.

Others are Lance Corporal Nvenaweimoeimi Akpagra, Staff Sgt. Abdullahi Adamu, and Private Ebele Emmanuel.