Police Commissioner Confirms Arrest Of 52 Shi’ites In Abuja For Allegedly Killing Two Officers, Burning Patrol Vehicles
Igwe, who made the vow while addressing newsmen after the incident, said that four other police officers including a policewoman who were critically injured during the clash are still unconscious in the hospital where they are receiving treatment.
The Commissioner of Police of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), CP Benneth Igweh, has vowed that the Command would haunt down the killers of the two police officers killed during a clash between the Nigeria police operatives and members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN), popularly known as Shi’ites in the Federal Capital Territory on Sunday.
Igwe, who made the vow while addressing newsmen after the incident, said that four other police officers including a policewoman who were critically injured during the clash are still unconscious in the hospital where they are receiving treatment.
The police commissioner, who said that the Shi’ite members attacked police officers unprovoked, confirmed that the police arrested at least 52 members of the IMN, noting that they came from Niger, Nasarawa, Abuja and other far places without informing their main leader.
Igwe said, “What really happened is that we were surprised that members of the Shi’ites Movement, IMN or whatever they call themselves decided to come out en masse to attack the policemen and killed brutally.
“Two of them are already dead. People saw them. We saw their dead bodies. Four including a woman police are unconscious with different injuries they inflicted on them. Some guns, some cutlass.
“I decided to say that for the fact that they were not provoked, they did it willingly, because they have agreed to attack security agencies for no just cause, I want to assure them that for the fact that they have started this war unprovoked, we are going to hunt them. We cannot leave it to go like that.
“We are going to hunt them no matter where they are. I assure them very well that we are going to hunt them because the families of the policemen they have killed are crying.”
“We have arrested at least 52 of them. When they killed the policemen, everybody was surprised, because assuming you are moving on your own, it would have been a different thing; but you came out and decided to attack the security agents.
“Some are in Niger, some are within the FCT, some are in Nasarawa and some came from far. We have gotten intelligence of how they coordinated the action they have done. I learnt that their main leader was not aware of their coming or told him that they were going to attack security agents.
“We know their lawyer that normally comes for them in court and he said that they are not aware of their coming. They wickedly said they were going to attack security agents. The law will take its cause on them (those arrested).”
SaharaReporters had reported that two operatives were reportedly killed, while three officers were hospitalised and unconscious due to injuries sustained during the confrontation.
The FCT Command Public Relations Officer, SP Josephine Adeh, in a statement on Sunday said three police patrol vehicles were burnt.
