The family of Mr. Mark Ediale, one of the three police operatives killed by soldiers attached to 93 Battalion of the Nigerian Army in Taraba State on Tuesday, August 6, has asked for an independent probe into the incident to ensure justice.
The deceased elder brother, Andrew, made the call at a news conference in Abuja on Wednesday.
It would be recalled that Mark, Usman Danzumi and Dahiru Musa were in Ibi, Taraba State to arrest a suspected kidnapper, Alhaji Hamisu Bala, also known as Wadume, who was alleged to have been the mastermind of high-profile kidnap incidents in the state when they were shot and killed.
Reports indicated that the deceased and others, all operatives of the Intelligence Response Team (IRT), were on their way to the state’s Police Command Headquarters in Jalingo with the suspect, when they were shot and killed by troops of the Nigerian Army along the Ibi-Jalingo road.
Mark, two other IRT operatives and one civilian, died from gunshot wounds, while others in the team sustained gunshot wounds and were hospitalised.
The soldiers were alleged to have, thereafter, released the handcuffed suspect, who has since been on the run.
Already, the Nigeria Army has set up a high-powered team to investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident.
But Andrew, at the news conference, demanded that the investigation be carried out by an independent body so as to ensure a thorough job.
While expressing displeasure over the murder of his younger brother who was on official duty, he called for “a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the killing, not only by the Nigerian community, but also the international and independent bodies to ensure justice”.
He regretted the alleged involvement of the army in the incident, saying Mark’s family wanted the culprits brought to book.
“We want stakeholders to ensure that nothing is swept under the carpet. The law must not fail to do the needful,” he said. With NAN report
