Four dismissed soldiers have been arrested by the police for the alleged murder of a staff of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in Niger State.
The spokesman for the state police command, Waisu Abiodun, told journalists on Saturday that the NDLEA officer was killed near the Ramat junction in Bida local government area of the state on March 9.
He said: “On March 9, at about 6:20 p.m., a team of NDLEA officers were on stop and search at Ramat Junction in Bida when two suspected soldiers not in uniform on a motorcycle were intercepted.
“The team requested their identifications which the suspected soldiers did not provide and nothing incriminating was found on them.
”During the search, there was an altercation after which the suspects left the scene, returned with additional men, reinforced to the scene, and allegedly attacked the NDLEA officers.”
Abiodun said during the fight, an officer of the NDLEA named Kingsley Chimetalo was stabbed in the back with a Jack-knife by one of the suspects and his rifle taken away.
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“The injured officer was taken to the Federal Medical Centre in Bida where he was later confirmed dead by a doctor.
“Police operatives attached to ‘A’ Division Bida immediately swung into investigation and the deceased rifle was recovered in a nearby bush where it was dumped without a magazine.
“The investigation was conducted in collaboration with 18 Brigade, Nigeria Army, Bida that led to the identification of six soldiers that were court-martialed and dismissed while two of them escaped,” the spokesman added.
He listed the suspects as Sani Munzani, Abubakar Auwalu, Abubakar Sani, and Muazu Hassan.
He said the suspects were handed over to the police on Monday for prosecution where Munzani confessed to the stabbing of the NDLEA officer.
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