At least 11 people, including an Assistant Commi-ssioner of Police, eight other policemen as well as two other people were killed in Nasarawa and Oyo states at the weekend in two incidences relating to yesterday’s Presidential and National Assembly polls.
The ACP in charge of administration in Nasarawa State, K K Bello, and eight other men of the force lost their lives on Friday at Nasarawa -Eggon Local Government area of the state as the police team was on their way to beef up security position around Akwanga, Keffi road following report of armed robbery attack.
At least two people were however confirmed killed while three persons sustained gun shot injuries in Ibadan, Oyo State capital yesterday during the presidentia-l/National Assembly elections.
The Nasarawa State tragedy came after last week’s deadly attack by Taliban at Panshekera, Kumatso Local Government area of Kano State where 13 policemen including a District Police Officer and his wife were killed.
Narrating how Friday’s incident occurred, the Assistant Commissioner of Police Operation, Salihu Yusuf, said “the bandits ambushed and opened fire on our men, first killing the driver of the car and as the car skidded off the road and somersaulted, they followed it up and within few minutes killed the other nine including Bello, only one of our men escaped unhurt”.
Yusuf who was speaking in the presence of the visibly shaky Commissioner of Police in the state, Mr Emmanuel Adebayo, who declined any comment, said security had been intensified in the area.
He said men of the police force and other security apparatus in the state including members of the Brigade of Guards stationed in the state were conducting a search to fish out the bandits.
The remains of the victims have since been deposited at the Dalhatu Arab Specialist Hospital Lafia.
Also confirming the incident in Abuja yesterday, the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Sunday Ehindero, described it as pathetic and uncalled for.
Ehindero said the situation in Nasarawa State came few days after the police lost some officers and men at various points across the country.
“Our men and officers were mobilised yesterday evening (Friday) so that they would be at their position for electoral duties for Saturday morning. But they were attacked in Nasarawa Eggon in their Hilux car and seven of them shot dead immediately. The ACP in charge of “A” Department was among the casualties,” he said.
An obviously disturbed Inspector General of Police vowed that the authorities would take appropriate steps to ensure that the culprits were brought to book saying investigators had been mobilised to the area to fish out the culprits.
“You will recall that it was also in this same Nasarawa that the supporters of those who lost the election blocked the road during the week and we had to send a unit of police men there to clear the road and maintain peace,” he warned.
THISDAY checks reveal that the bandit attack may not be unconnected with the political situation in the state since the gubernatorial election last week.
Last Sunday in Nasarawa Eggon, irate youths burned down the palace of the traditional ruler, the Areh Eggon, Bala Angbazo, destroying properties worth million of Naira .
During the crisis, the police were said to have opened gun fire on the youths in the process killing three of them.
In Ibadan, the Oyo State Police Commissioner, Mr. Jonathan Johnson, who confirmed the death toll to newsmen hinted that the deceased were killed by soldiers and mobile police men deployed in the various polling booths to maintain peace.
According to the police boss, one of the persons was killed in Ogbomosho as he attempted to flee after he snatched a ballot box while the other person was killed at Ogbere also in an attempt to elope with a snatched ballot box.
Six officials of INEC were also arrested in addition to 55 suspects arrested in connection with anti-electoral acts.
At the Ibadan end of the defunct Toll Gate, a trailer load of ballot papers was intercepted by soldiers and diverted to Mokola Cantonment. The truck with registration number ABUJA XH 632 ABJ which was heading for Abeokuta was loaded with voting materials for the governorship run off elections.
The police boss, quoting his Area Commander in Ogbomosho, disclosed that two persons were hit by the soldiers’ bullets. One died on the way to the hospital while the other survived with injuries.
In Ogbere, one of the outskirts of the state capital, hoodlums snatched a ballot box and were fleeing when a detachment policemen deployed to the area gave him a hot chase.
The hoodlums, with their ‘loot’ had sought to escape through Akanran, en route Ogun State towns before the police patrol that chased them forced them to reconnoiter into a bush.
Inside the bush, the hoodlums reportedly opened fire on the police to dislodge them. An exchange of fire followed which led to the death of one of them while others fled leaving the snatched ballot box behind.
The ballot box was later recovered by the police and taken back to the polling booth for voting to continue.
Altogether, Johnson said the combined efforts of the police and the army led to the arrest of 61 persons over various acts contrary to electoral regulations.
Of the number, the army led by the General Officer Commanding, 2 Division, Nigerian Army, Major General Muhammad Sani Saleh, apprehended 51 hoodlums including six INEC officials in Ibadan metropolis over illegal possession of arms and hijacking of ballot boxes while monitoring the elections.
Just like the governorship and House of Assembly elections which took place last Saturday, elections in some parts of the state capital were fraught with massive rigging.
There was late arrival of materials while in Ibadan metropolis, voters complained of insufficient materials, some villages in the outskirts of the city had the materials in abundance.
Apr222007