About a dozen detectives of the Nigerian Police Force have invaded the Abuja residence of former Sole Administrator of the National Iron Mining Company, Itakpe, Engr Abubakar Yaro Ibrahim and extra-judicially shot one of his sons.
The police officers, who are members of the Special Tactical Squad (STS) of the Office of the Inspector General of Police (IGP), it was gathered stormed the residence of Engr Ibrahim, penultimate Monday, 18 May, at about 12:45 pm, when he was preparing to join other members of his family to perform the afternoon prayer (Salatul Zuhr).
The STS personnel, PRNigeria learnt, violently molested members of Ibrahim’s family, threatening to eliminate their mother and Sadiq, the teenage son shot by one of the armed policemen.
The Force Spokesperson said the Police is investigating the incident.
Confirming the incident to PRNigeria, the traumatized father of shot teenager, said: “On Monday, 18th May, 2020 at about 12:45pm, I was preparing to join other members of my family to perform the afternoon prayer (Salatul Zuhr), when I heard several gun shots, and some strange people shouting at the top of their voices at members of my family, while some other people were banging doors, trying to forcibly gain entrance into the house through other doors.
“I rushed downstairs to the main living room of the house to know exactly what was happening and to my greatest dismay I found members of my family laying down on the floor of the living room with their faces facing down and several armed men were standing keeping a watch over them, threatening to shoot anyone that may attempt to run away.”
Ibrahim, who has already demanded an apology from the Police Force and is also pressing for damages, explained that he did not immediately realized that they were operatives from the ST Squad of the IGP office.
He further narrated: “I assumed naturally that they were armed robbers, since I could not immediately identify them. More so, as we have had experience of attack by armed robbers in the past.
“They led all of us out of the main building into the open space in front of it. It was then that I realised that they were actually security operatives from STS. Then naturally, myself and some of my children started asking them why they were treating us in the manner they were doing. They slapped my children who asked that question saying, ‘’you even have the mouth to talk’’.
“Earlier, while they were in the process of gathering us, one of my children also sought to know why they layed siege in our house and a gun was fired very near his ear apparently to deafen him.”
According to the retired director in the Federal Civil Service, some of the operatives re-entered the boys’ quarter premises and other parts of the house, apparently for further search.
“And thereafter, they came back to meet us at the spot we were gathered. They then decided to take us (myself, my male children, seven in number, and my driver) to their office at Guzape.
“We left my female family members, amongst whom were small children confused, crying and highly traumatized. While entering the vehicle which was meant to convey us to their office, a son of my neighbour happened to be passing by, and when questioned by a member of the STS team, he explained that he came to inform us that my son, Sadiq was shot and that he was at their house.
“We therefore, went with the STS operatives to pick Sadiq who was obviously in a state of shock and severe pains. Blood had stained his clothes and the piece of the cloth that was used to bandage the wound was greatly soaked with blood.
“I could not control the tears coming from my eyes when I saw my son in that pathetic situation, and I pleaded with the STS operatives to help quickly rush him to the hospital for him get prompt medical attention, and we can thereafter, face any charge they may decide to place on us. All they said was that we should wait for them to finish what they wanted to do, and that they had a clinic in their office where Sadiq would be attended to,” Ibrahim said.
He further said, “the STS operatives came into his house by jumping over the fence between
my house and that of my next door neighbour.”
His words: “They met Sadiq doing ablution for the afternoon prayer in the premises of the house. He was greatly frightened due to the manner by which they gained access in our house. He immediately
concluded that we were being attacked by armed robbers. To add to his shock the officer who shot him then pointed gun at him and started pursuing him. The officer pursued him over a distance of at least 200m.It is only by the mercy of the Creator that Sadiq survived.
“The officer shouted at the top of his voice saying, ‘thief thief’ so that people in the neighbourhood shall close their doors, and not allow Sadiq entrance. It is also obvious that the officer wanted Sadiq to be lynched by members of the public.
“The STS operatives asked Sadiq to produce his handset before we would be driven to their office, and he told them that it had fallen while he was escaping from the STS operative who was pursuing him and firing at him. The STS operatives insisted that they needed to obtain the handset before we would leave for their office. God so kind the handset was eventually traced and we were eventually taken to the STS Office at Guzape, Abuja In the afternoon.”
He continued by saying: “At the venue of interrogation we were each asked to make statement, and it was while we were doing so, that it became evident that they were trying to link us up with a kidnap case. According to them, that a Nigerian Army major and one or two other people were recently kidnapped in Kogi State, and the kidnappers demanded a huge ransom before they could be released.
“According to them, they were trying to track the kidnappers when they arrived at a spot (near my house, but on the road which passes in front of it) as the location of the kidnappers when they were last contacted. They claimed that the kidnappers asked them to take ransom to that spot which they automatically assumed to be part of my house. No recorded voice conversation with the kidnappers to that effect was presented to us.
“…after the necessary formalities we were asked to fill bond forms and thereafter, we were allowed to depart at about 5.45pm. I requested that we be provided escort to accompany Sadiq to hospital for proper medical attention. They assigned the person who shot at him to take him
along with a relation to National Hospital, Trauma Centre, Abuja for treatment.”
Engr Ibrahim however said, while they were on their way to hospital, Sadiq asked the officer who shot him why he did so, but the officer replied him, saying he should count himself lucky that he was still alive.
“The officer unapologetically stated that he intended to kill Sadiq. He also stated, without any remorse, that he had aimed at Sadiq’s head while shooting towards his direction. When they arrived at the National Hospital, Trauma Centre, Abuja, they simply dropped Sadiq and the relation accompanying him at the entrance of the Centre and left. This refusal to provide the statement was in spite of the insistence for it by doctors,” Ibrahim noted.
Engr Ibrahim who is currenting a visiting lecturer at Ahmadu Bello University, maintained that the STS team did not stormed his house with a search warrant authorizing them to search his house.
He said: “They did not enter my house through the main door, in spite of the fact that it was not locked. They instead jumped over the fence between my house and that of my immediate next door neighbour.
“My son, Sadiq was performing ablution when they entered the home by jumping over the fence between my house and that of my neighbour; this very manner of entering the house greatly frightened him.
“More so that one of the operatives pointed gun at him and pursued him trying to kill. Sadiq actually assumed they were armed robbers when he saw them. The particular person that shot him had hair style that is not befitting responsible people, making the boy to believe they were armed robbers. None of the officers wore a protective gear which they normally wear when they are on such operation. This cast doubt on the motive of the mission of the STS team.
“The same officer who shot Sadiq told my wife, who at that time they entered our compound was in the kitchen preparing food for children, to open the kitchen door or be shot. One of the children advised her to open for him and she did. But for that invention by the child it could have been a different story.
“The shock and trauma we were subjected to, caused another son of mine to collapse at the interrogation venue. The STS operatives had disgraced us as a family by treating us as criminals without the slightest justification for that.
“I served this Country to the best of my ability and I retired as a Director from the Federal Civil Service, and I had never been linked to any criminal act. Even on retirement I am still contributing to the development of the country through many different facets. I am presently a visiting lecturer in the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) Zaria. I am living no stone unturned in trying to bring up my children in the best Islamic way. Three of my children have memorized the Holy Quran, and Sadiq is one of them.
“I and members of my family have been unjustifiably humiliated, traumatised and inhumanely treated by the STS operatives. My fundamental human rights have been violated and trampled upon. I therefore demand that the STS staff involved be appropriately sanctioned for unprofessional and unethical conduct in the conduct of their duty to serve as deterrent to other officers. They should also forward a letter of apology to myself and my entire family.”
When contacted, the Force Spokesperson DCP Frank Mba told PRNigeria that the Police Headquarter is investigating the incident and would make it position known soon.
Frank said: “There are different versions to this report. We are, nevertheless, investigating the controversy over the incident and we will surely make our position known and take appropriate actions on the issue.”
By PRNigeria
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Agric Staff Exonerate Perm Sec Umar Bello of Allegations, Wrongdoings
… Say he has excellent track records, unblemished Reputation
The disquiet that followed the recent query issued to the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Science and Technology Dr. Umar Bello is gradually thinning out as further information reveals that the queried Permanent Secretary was actually on a mission to sanitize the Agric Ministry.
A top Agric Ministry official who would not want his name in print confided in Economic Confidential that the embattled Bello during his tenure, stabilized the accounting processes and contract management procedures, apart from instituting roll-over budgetary process for ongoing projects in the ministry.
He further told this paper that almost over 30 years of the Ministry of Agriculture in Abuja, most of the offices were still scattered in various rented apartments and structures, stressing that the policy thrust of the Buhari administration is to minimize wastages which eventually influenced the resolve to get permanent structures.
Investigation further showed that as an interim measure to curtail wastages and cut costs on rents, department were moved to buildings belonging to Bank of Agriculture (BOA), Nigeria Agricultural Insurance Corporation (NAIC) and some FADAMA structures to save government from incurring expenses.
Meanwhile on the alleged N7 billion spent in buying an uncompleted building for the ministry, Economic Confidential gathered from the top ministry official that the contract has been awarded by the ministry to complete the building but the award letters were not released by the current Permanent Secretary for reasons yet unknown.
Search also revealed that contrary to allegations that the erstwhile permanent secretary was invited to the anti-graft agency for questioning, only the Director of Finance and Accounts with his Procurement counterpart visited the agency to clear the air on allegations against them.
Some staff of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development who spoke to Economic Confidential on conditions of anonymity noted that due process which had hitherto prevailed in contract procedures has been jettisoned as contracts are no more advertised and bided for in comparison to the time past.
Our Source also disclosed that currently some activities in the Agric Ministry involved virements as letters on awards of contracts where neither signed nor released to the respective contractors. Instead funds are allegedly diverted and vire to other projects in unbudgeted localities that were never part of the appropriation, neither advertised nor bided for.
Efforts to reach both the former and current permanent secretaries in the Ministry of Agriculture to state their own side of the stories proved abortive as phone calls were neither replied nor returned as at the time of filing this report.
The former Permanent secretary of Agriculture Dr Umar Bello from Tambuwal Sokoto State is currently the Perm Sec at Federal Ministry of Science and Technology, while the current Permanent Secretary of Agric, Dr Abdulkadir Mu’azu from Zaria, Kaduna State was Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Mines and Steel. He had earlier served in the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development for three months.
Meanwhile, in a recent response to allegations of financial recklessness levelled against Mohammed Umar Bello which was leaked to the press, the Science and Technology Permanent Secretary said the Minister of Agriculture, and the Federal Executive Council (FEC) approved the purchase of the building.
In his reply dated May 14, he said all the financial transactions made while at the ministry of agriculture followed due process
“While denying in totality all the allegations, I hereby forward my representations and response to all the false allegations contained in the query,” the permanent secretary said.
“I am constrained to give details of the transactions I approved to set the record straight and clear my name. I will like state the following that all transactions at the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development were approved through Administrative process and principles as traditioned in the conduct of government business.
“That FMARD run a rolling budget year in year out as most projects are been captured as ongoing; that all contracts/procurement and payments at the FMARD followed due process.
“There are procedures for contracts/procurement and payments handled by various departments in all government agencies, FMARD inclusive.
“That my tenure as Permanent Secretary at FMARD commenced from 10th January, 2019 to 18th December, 2019 and hence cannot be held responsible or liable for actions prior to 10th January, 2019.
“I state that contractors were dully paid. The allegation of contractors not been paid is totally false. All contractors whose contract was captured in the 2018 budgetary allocation were paid in accordance to budgetary releases.
“However, contractors whose contracts are ongoing were rolled over as ongoing. Rollover capital projects are not new in contract management.
“I will state that due process was followed to the latter in the purchase of the said building. After submission of the recommendation to the Hon. Minister of Agriculture; He approved that Council Memo be made to that effect.
“We then sent the Memo to the Secretary to Government of the Federation who then scheduled it for Federal Executive Council Approval. Consequently, the Federal Executive Council approved the purchase of the building.”
