Army/Police Rift: Rights Activist Wants FG To Give Posthumous Awards To Slain Officers

By Daniel Dafe

Comrade Efemena Umukoro, a rights activist and Chairman, Social Patriotic Youths Initiative, Delta State, has called on the Federal Government to honour the three policemen allegedly killed by troops of 93 Battalion of the Nigerian Army last week.

He said that the police officers deserved to be honour with posthumous national award in recognition of their outstanding performance and bravery in fighting crime and criminality in the country.

Big Pen online platform reports that while condemning the killing of the police officers alongside a civilian in Takum, Taraba State on August 6, 2019, Umukoro, in a statement on Sunday, said the act was one of the biggest unprofessional, barbaric and inhuman behaviour of one of the topmost security outfits in Nigeria.

He, however said that the killing brought a huge embarrassment to the nation, saying such uncivilized action of the Nigerian security apparatus is the reason why the war against insecurity has remained largely unwinnable.

While lamenting why officers who left home for official duty should be killed in such a gruesome manner, the Urhobo-born activist said: “The Nigeria policeman is someone’s husband, uncle, father and son, who has decided to sacrifice his life time and all for the safety of Nigerians. They need our prayers and support.

“We therefore use this medium to appeal to our president, Muhammadu Buhari, who believes in rewarding hard work with promotion and more work to kindly honor these late heroes with a posthumous award in recognition of their outstanding performance and bravery in fighting crime and criminality in our nation. 

“If the federal government can do this, it will awaken the morale of the Nigeria police to continue to work hard, protect lives and properties of Nigerians.”

He said that while the Deputy Inspector General of Police, Mike Ogbizi-led joint investigation panel is going about its investigation, the Nigeria Army should handover the overzealous military officers who carried out the dastardly act to the police for proper investigation or detain them in the army detention facility pending the determination of the outcome of the joint investigating panel.

The activist insisted that while the probe is being done, the matter must not be swept under the carpet, as such development would kill the morale of the Nigeria police officers and reduce the faith and trust Nigerians have on the military as an institution of government.

Lamenting the rate at which the Nigeria army has been involved in extra judicial killings nationwide, Mr. Umukoro queried, “Does it mean that the Nigeria police will protect themselves from being killed by bandit, armed robbers and at the same time being killed by a sister security agency?”

He however expressed condolences to the Nigeria Police Force, Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu as well as the families of the deceased officers, whilst he called on the federal government to ensure the widows and families of the slain police officers are not left to suffer.