No protester was gunned down by security operatives in Azare – Police
By Samuel Luka,
Bauchi
Bauchi state Police Commissioner, Auwal Musa Mohammed has on Tuesday, debunked a video circulating in the social media purporting that a protester in the ongoing Nationwide protest was gunned down by security operatives in Azare, Katagum local government area of Bauchi state.
Our Correspondent recalled that yesterday (Monday) evening, the Bauchi state government imposed a 24 hour curfew in Katagum local government area of the state after hoodlums hijacked the protest, stealing and vandalizing public property in the area.
The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) of the Command, SP Ahmed Mohammed Wakil who made this known on behalf of CP in a press release, warned purveyors of misinformation to desist from doing so.
According to Wakil, the CP has ordered a discreet investigation, adding that the claims are untrue and misleading.
“The attention of the Bauchi State Police Command has been drawn to a purported video circulating online and in some sections of the media that claims security operatives gunned down a protester in Azare on Monday, August 5, 2024”, he said.
“The Command wishes to emphatically debunk this video and the accompanying news publications. These claims are untrue and misleading”, he declared.
The release further pointed out that no such inhumane incident was recorded by the command at the mentioned location or any other part of the state.
“The video is fabricated, and it is important for the public to know that the police were not involved in any such incident”, the CP clarified.
He said Prior to the planned nationwide protests, the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun issued a directive on July 31, 2024, that all officers are to appear in camouflage uniforms with a red band on the left-hand side.
The CP who noted that the directive of the IGP was meant to provide clear identification of all policemen deployed nationwide, emphasized that the video in circulation does not portray or indict any policeman as published by some sections of social media.
He said that the Command has constituted a team of investigators comprising of seasoned detectives to aggregate all allegations, suspicions and insinuations from various sources and undertake a professional, diligent and timely investigation to establish evidence.
CP Musa further explained that the aim is to clear all doubts and ensure that justice is manifestly served through a meticulous process that will deploy all requisite protocols (which may include exhumation of the death body if any), as well as technical and scientific tools that are vital to the detailed investigation of the allegations.
He also enjoined Media Practitioners not to relent in their firm commitments and dedication to ensure global best practice of ethical investigative journalism, aimed at seeking the truth and establishing national cohesion and patriotism to our great nation, Nigeria.
The Police Commissioner called on members of the public to disregard the misinformation and always verify information through official channels.
