Police, Taraba Govt Disagree Over Arms Helicopter Landing Claim

The police in Taraba State on Tuesday faulted the claim by the state government that a helicopter loaded with arms and ammunition had on Saturday night landed in Jibu, a village in Wukari Local Government Area of the state.

 

Commissioner of Police in Taraba, Mr. Dave Akinremi, at a press briefing in Jalingo said the report was false, misleading, unfounded and a deliberate attempt to misinform the people of the state.

 

However, Senior Special Assistant to Governor Darius Ishaku on Media and Publicity, Mr. Bala Dan-Abu insisted that the Taraba State government still stood by her earlier statement.

 

“We also have our channels of getting information, and I tell you that indeed a helicopter landed in that village with arms. We got our information from a credible source and we still stand by our words. The police should deploy their intelligence to save Taraba from an eminent attack,” he said.

 

Akinremi had during the briefing said he personally visited the community to ascertain the true situation, but that he discovered nothing like that happened in the community.

 

“Apart from dispatching a team of operatives to the area, I personally visited the community and interviewed community leaders and members of the community, but they all dismissed the report as false.

“We have a good synergy with the state government and I expected them to have contacted me before going to the press with the information about the arms laden helicopter they claimed landed in that village,” he said.

 

The commissioner also told journalists at the briefing that the command on Monday arrested 9 persons in connection with the burning of a police station in Zing.

 

According to him, men of the Zing Division had on Monday arrested three persons in connection with the discovery of a corpse suspected to have been killed by unknown persons at Monkin village, but some irate youths demanded that the suspects be handed over to them for a jungle justice.

 

He explained that when the police refused to grant their request, the youths who were armed with dangerous weapons attacked the officers and set the Division ablaze.

 

“I want to warn miscreants who take delight in attacking police formations that the command will not be cowed in performing her constitutional duty and will deal decisively with whoever that is involved,” he warned.