The 31 Artillery Brigade of the Nigerian Army Minna has debunked police allegation that soldiers from the brigade invaded the ‘B’ Division of the Nigeria Police Force and took over its armoury.
The police had alleged while speaking with newsmen that armed soldiers from the brigade early Friday invaded the division where policemen on duty and the DPO were manhandled and armoury guards were disarmed as the soldiers took over the armoury over an alleged police assault of a soldier Thursday night.
The army denied the allegation in a statement signed by Brigadier General Chris Ilouga yesterday, saying no policeman at the station was manhandled by soldiers as alleged. According to the statement, the officer who went to the police station is the Internal Security Officer who patrols with his team in three vehicles and is continually in touch with the DPO of that station and he went to the station on a fact-finding mission to get the other part of the story, especially from those who attacked the soldier.
The discussion lasted about 20 minutes and it was resolved that a team of police personnel would visit the barracks for an amicable resolution of the matter. At that stage, the officer left the police station and continued with his patrol.
“It is important to state that while the discussion with the DPO was on, the soldiers naturally may have taken an all-round defensive position which is a drill whenever they are static. The posture is defensive, not offensive but it appeared that some of the policemen, apparently apprehensive of the incident of the previous night (beating of the soldier) thought that the soldiers were on a revenge mission. I must reiterate that the officer went to the police station on a fact-finding mission and not a revenge mission as no one was manhandled or injured,” it added.
The statement said on the allegation of taking over their armoury, the police should count soldiers out if the allegation is a ploy to cover up any lapses in police armoury. It said while the 31 Artillery Brigade remains committed to civil-military relations and inter-agency cooperation, it is important that the attackers of the soldier be brought to book and made to write an apology to the injured soldier.
source: nigerianeye
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