A POLICE officer has been arrested after allegedly shooting a soldier dead in Futuk, Alkaleri Local Government Area of Bauchi State, during a confrontation over a truck suspected to be transporting illegally mined minerals.
The incident, which occurred on Monday evening, was confirmed by the Acting Assistant Director of Army Public Relations, 33 Artillery Brigade, Atang Hallet Solomon.
He disclosed that the officer involved is now in custody and that the matter is under joint investigation by the Nigerian Army and the Police.
According to eyewitnesses, trouble started when soldiers of the 33 Artillery Brigade ordered the driver of a truck, bearing registration number Gombe 676 BLG, to stop at a checkpoint in Futuk.
The truck, reportedly belonging to a Chinese mining company and loaded with minerals from the Yalo mining site, allegedly refused to stop.
The soldiers gave chase and intercepted the vehicle near a bridge. Witnesses said a heated altercation broke out between the commanding officer of the soldiers and a Mobile Police (MOPOL) officer who was escorting the truck.
“A scuffle then broke out… During the altercation, the policeman allegedly raised his rifle and shot the army officer in the back,” a local source told our correspondent.
The wounded soldier was rushed to a hospital in Gombe, but he later succumbed to his injuries. His remains have since been deposited at the hospital morgue, with burial arrangements ongoing in line with military tradition.
Residents of Futuk said panic gripped the town immediately after the shooting.
Traders and shopkeepers hurriedly shut down their businesses, fearing violence between soldiers and police officers. In the chaos, the truck driver reportedly fled.
A Community leader of Alkaleri, who spoke to News Point Nigeria commended the soldiers for showing restraint, noting that they chose not to retaliate but instead disarmed the policeman, arrested both him and the driver, and transferred them to Bauchi for further action.
Local hunters and vigilantes alleged that the minerals in the truck were illegally extracted from Yalo and hinted that the police officer may have been escorting the vehicle unlawfully.
They said the refusal of the truck to stop at the checkpoint, the shooting of a soldier by a trained police officer, and the driver’s escape all raised serious questions. “Only a thorough investigation can unravel the truth,” one of them said.
Efforts to reach the Bauchi State Police Command were unsuccessful, as the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Mohammed Ahmed Wakil, did not respond to calls or messages at the time of filing this report.
Meanwhile, sources confirmed that the Bauchi State Commissioner of Police has met with the Commander of the 33 Artillery Brigade, Brigadier-General U.J. Simon, to ease tensions and assure the Army of a transparent probe.
