Saturday, September 14, 2013

Tension in Maiduguri as police kill Civilian-JTF

The calming state of insecurity in Maiduguri the Borno state capital
was on Saturday steamed up after a police officer shot dead a member
of the youth vigilante civilian-JTF, witnesses and security officials
said.
The incident happened at about 3:30 p.m. when Vice President Namadi
Sambo and the Sultan of Sokoto were launching the 2013 inaugural
flight of intending pilgrims to Saudi Arabia, at the Maiduguri
International Airport.
Angry youth vigilante blocked the Kano-Maiduguri road with burning
tyres and calling for the neck of every policeman, whom they called
accomplice of the Boko Haram.
The convoy of the Borno state governor, Kashim Shettima, coming from
the airport after the Vice President had officially flagged off the
2013 Hajj airlift, was stopped for about 35 minutes by the barricades
mounted by angry youths who continued to chant 'police-Boko Haram'.
Governor Shettima, who was accompanied by other security chiefs
including the state police commissioner, Lawal Tanko, had to
laboriously plea with the youth all the way to get to the Government
House.
According to a member of the Civilian-JTF, Muhammed Adamu, trouble
started when members of the Civilian-JTF, who caught another Boko
Haram member, had to take the wrong lane along the Borno Express
terminus near the SSS office.
'We were taking the Boko Haram suspect we caught in Benisheik to the
soldiers' post near Borno Express, opposite SSS office when a
policeman stopped us and asked us to take the other lane; we told him
we could not because we had a Boko Haram suspect. He threatened to
shoot if we don't, then one of our members said he dare not. And the
policeman opened fire killing one of our members.
PREMIUM TIMESgathered that the police man was mobbed by the angry
youth who freely used machetes and clubs on him.
The spokesman of the 7th Division of the Nigeria Army, Lt Col Sagir
Musa, said he personally took the mobbed policeman, who was drenched
in blood, to the police headquarters as the angry youth threatened to
see him die.
Borno state governor, Kashim Shettima, who pleaded and calmed the
angry youths that accompanied him to the Government House later told
journalists that government would do everything to pacify the family
of the dead Civilian-JTF member.
"This is a sad development as it really threatens the emerging peace
we are enjoying. But we would do everything to pacify all the
aggrieved; especially, we are going to compensate the family of the
deceased young man with the sum of N3.5 million.
"And we have also promised that if the parents are living in rented
apartment we are going to see that we give them new accommodation at
the 1000-housing unit. This is not an attempt to say we could
compensate the dead of a human, but it is our modest way of sharing in
their moment of grief. That young man who was killed, died trying to
protect his community, and we as government have all the
responsibility to share in the grief of his family. Our sincere
condolences goes to the family of the young man.
"I want to appeal to the angry youths to calm down; this is our state
and the youths have assisted us tremendously in restoring peace. Let
them not destabilize the emerging peace we are enjoying now. I will be
going to attend the burial of the young man personally tomorrow. There
is even an unconfirmed report that the policeman who perpetrated the
killing of the innocent young man has equally passed away. This is
sad. But I still appeal for calm', said Governor Shettima.
The state police commissioner, Lawal Tanko, confirmed the incident at
the time governor Shettima was briefing the press.
Spokesman of the 7th Division said soldiers have been deployed to the
area to see that the youngmen did not go back to barricade the highway
again.

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