The federal government has been charged to constitute a judicial panel of inquiry to properly get to the recent killing of three serving policemen and a civilian by soldiers in Taraba state.
Giving the charge in a statement issued and circulated in Warri yesterday, a human rights group, the Centre for the Vulnerable and the Underprivileged (CENTREP), expressed doubts in the sincerity and ability of the Defense Headquarters to effectively do justice to the matter, citing failure of similar investigations in the past to produce results.
According to the statement, signed by the Executive Director of CENTREP, Oghenejabor Ikimi, the response of the Presidency to the development had shown that government is not treating a potentially dangerous national security situation serious, demanding that the investigation be given the attention and seriousness it requires.
“The attention of members of the Centre for the vulnerable and the underprivileged, (Centrep) have been drawn to the recent dastard murder by soldiers of the 93 Battalion, Takum, Taraba State of three serving Policemen attached to the IGP Intelligence Response Team and a civilian and serious injuries to other Police operatives of the Team who were on investigation activities to Ibi, Taraba State to arrest one Alhaji Hamisu indicted in series of high profile kidnap incidents in the State and we condemn the said killings.
“We call on the federal government to institute a judicial panel of inquiry into same with a view to avoiding a repeat performance in the near future and to compensate the families of the fallen operatives and civilian.
“We make bold to say that the above is one of the numerous reasons behind the worsening state of insecurity in our country, which is being fuelled courtesy of lack of synergy, inter Agency rivalry and sabotage amongst our security outfits nationwide and there is the urgent need for all security outfits to work together to abate violent crimes in our polity.
“We believe that the marching orders given to the Defence Headquarters by the Presidency to investigate the above incident is an indication that the Presidency is trivializing a sensitive issue such as lack of synergy, inter Agency rivalry and sabotage amongst her security outfits nationwide.
“The outcome of the above investigation, like previous ones initiated in the past, would no doubt be swept under the carpet, hence our call for a judicial panel of inquiry to investigate the immediate and remote causes of the above incidence and to proffer solutions to prevent a re-occurrence in the nearest future,” the statement said.