Soldier stabs police officer in Jalingo

EMMANUEL AWARI, Jalingo

A military officer identified as Gideon, attached to the state anti-kidnapping joint taskforce stabbed a police officer Miracle Philip in the early hours of Saturday in Jalingo, the Taraba State capital.

Speaking to our correspondent on the phone, the victim narrated that he got information that there was a problem with the boys who stayed in the same area with him and so he went out to find what it was when he was arrested along side the boys, taken to the NSCDC headquarters where he was stabbed twice by the soldier.

“I heard that there were some issues so since the boys involved are boys that I know and we stay in the same area, I went there to know what was happening. When I got there, I saw them lying on the floor so I identified myself and asked what was happening. Instead, the military officer asked me to go down. Of course, I refused and they descended on me and started beating me.

“Then they took us to NSCDC headquarters and while on our way, they were insisting that I am a criminal and I told them I am a police officer and not a criminal. When we got to the headquarters, they said I disrespected their Oga and started beating me again when one them, I only saw one of his names, that is Gideon, who removed his knife and stabbed me twice. It was then that the Civil Defence officers that were around rushed in, rescued me and brought me to the hospital here” Philip narrated.

Spokesperson of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps NSCDC Samuel Iliya told our Correspondent that the police officer was arrested by the team when he tried to stop the operatives from arresting some suspects and brought to the Corps headquarters where he had an altercation with the soldier, leading to the sad development.

“The joint task force got information that some boys were using knives to harass people and collect their phones and so they moved in to arrest them. The police officer came along and wanted to stop the arrest, saying that they were his boys. So he was arrested alongside the suspects and brought to our headquarters.

“While at the headquarters, there was an altercation between him and the army guys since he was insisting that they could not arrest him as a police officer. That is what deteriorated into the stabbing but our men quickly moved in and rushed him to the hospital where he is stable and receiving treatment. It is sad that the situation went that way because it was needless. Without apportioning blame, as a security officer, you should help your colleagues in tackling crime and not stopping them from arresting suspects. Equally, it is unthinkable that the situation could result in stabbing. I think self-restraint was not applied” he said.

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