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Bloody day as Air Force, Police clash
By DIPO KEHINDE, OLUWATOYOSI OGUNSEYE and CHRISTOPHER OJI
Thursday, July 8, 2004

Three policemen were shot dead in cold blood and several others injured by Air Force men in Lagos on Wednesday, following a raid by detectives on a dark spot opposite the Sam Ethnan Air Force base in Ikeja.

The bloody encounter began on Tuesday, when detectives from the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) Panti, stormed the dark spot and nabbed some suspected criminals, who were found smoking Indian hemp.

One of the suspects was shot in the leg as he allegedly tried to disarm a policeman. It was later discovered that he was an Air Force man. But he was in mufti, wearing leather sandals and sitting inside a shed along the railway line, when the detectives arrived.

Early Wednesday, Air Force men and some street urchins took to the streets, picking up policemen who were on their way to work.

Some were dragged down from commercial buses and one officer riding in a Mercedes Benz 230E, marked CG 219 JJJ was intercepted and beaten to a pulp. The windshield of the car was smashed and the officer abducted alongside some 25 other policemen.
Later in the day, the Lagos State Commissioner of Police Israel Ajao, who had been consulting with the military authorities since Tuesday to avert bloodshed, was asked to come and pick the bodies of his men and those who were injured.

The police authorities said they had contacted the Base Commander, Group Captain Dick Iruevebre, who allegedly said he could not handle the rampaging Air Force men, until three policemen went down.
Asked to comment on the development, Air Force spokesman, Wing Commander Charles Ozoemena said his superiors would hold a press conference today.
On discovery that three of their colleagues had been killed, mobile policemen approached the Air Force Base ready to launch a reprisal attack, but were cautioned in a radio message from the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Ajao.

As soon as the dead bodies were brought to the Command Headquarters of the police in Ikeja, Ajao ordered an headcount of his men.
While the fight was on, policemen deserted the roads in most parts of Lagos, and some armed robbers took advantage of their disappearance, as they had a field day at the Maryland area robbing motorists and pedestrians.

The battle also caused a traffic jam along the Agege Motor Road, where soldiers were seen on surveillance in police patrol vehicles.
The smashed Mercedes Benz was later identified as that of a former Inspector General of Police, Mr. Aliyu Atta, whose orderly was stabbed in the head and cheek.
The Air Force men also manhandled a cameraman working for Channels Television for daring to come to the scene to take shots.

The presidency, however, moved in as tension was mounting in the area, sending the Deputy Inspector General of Police in charge of operations, Mr Mike Okiro to Lagos, to hold meetings with the Air Force Commandant and CP Lagos and restore peace before street urchins could hijack the chaotic situation.

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How we were Battered •Cops recount ordeal with Air Force men
•FG orders probe
By CHRISTOPHER OJI, Lagos and LUCKY NWANKWERE, Abuja
Friday, July 9, 2004


Tears flowed freely yesterday at the Lagos Police Command Headquarters as policemen abducted in the face-off with the Air Force on Wednesday narrated their ordeal.

Men of the two services had confronted one another after an Air Force man was shot as policemen rounded up alleged criminals opposite the Air Force base, in Ikeja. It was a pitched battle in which at least three cops reportedly lost their lives.

Daily Sun spoke with some of the abducted policemen, who recounted their experiences.

We saw pepper – Constable Inaba
I am a driver attached to the former Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Aliyu Atah. I had taken my master’s son to the airport and was returning home when I ran into a traffic jam at the PWD bus-stop. All of a sudden, I saw about 300 Air Force personnel, who began shouting, ‘yes, he’s a policeman, he’s a policeman.’ The next thing I knew was that they had broken my windscreen, and pulled me out of the car. They beat me seriously and then took me to their base, where we met many other policemen.

Some of them were already half-dead, yet they continued hitting them with guns, batons and boots. In fact, we saw pepper. First of all, my head was shaved with a knife, and after they stabbed me with the same knife, I became unconscious.

I pretended I was dead – Corporal David
We were on our way from the airport and enjoying music in the car when we ran into a serious traffic jam at the PWD bus-stop. When the Air Force men saw the driver in uniform, they shouted, ‘yeh, yeh, this is one of them.’ So they dragged us out and started beating us. They collected my two service pistols and GSM phones. I asked what our offence was, but they dragged us to their base, where we met many policemen, tied up. Some were unconscious, yet they were still being beaten. They beat me with guns, belt, baton and boots, and it was not till I pretended I was dead that they left me. I saw hell.

I saw a policeman vomiting blood – Constable Monday Lucky
I was just reporting to my duty post for the first time because I just graduated from the Police College. I did not know or hear anything concerning the Police and Air Force clash otherwise, I wouldn’t have put on my uniform. As I got to PWD bus-stop, I saw some Air Force men searching buses but I did not understand. I was innocent of any crime and as a policeman in uniform, I was very confident that they would only be looking for criminals. Alas, they grabbed me by the collar and started dragging me down from the bus. I thought that they were looking for fake policemen and I quickly brought out my identity card and showed it to them but they shouted that if I were a fake policeman, they would have released me. They were kicking and beating me with guns, baton, belt and boot and they shaved my head with knife. When I got to the cell, I met many policemen that were tied with ropes. Some of them were unconscious and they were still beating them. A policeman after receiving persistent beating vomited blood and collapsed before they left him.

They vowed to kill me and my wife – Ademola Kazeem
Our men were humiliated beyond imagination. It is better not to imagine the humiliation we went through. I was taking my wife to her place of work when these heartless men accosted us. I was in mufti but one person among the heavily armed Air Force guys identified me as a policeman and said that they should kill my wife first before they would kill me. I was trying to ask what the problem was when about six of them started hitting my wife with blows, sticks and gun and I said that I should die before they kill my wife in my presence. So I rushed at them to shield my wife but as they were hitting me so also my wife was being tortured. Presently, she is lying critically ill at the hospital. It was the height of bestiality.

Now, I’ll start going to church – Sgt. Badmus Emmanuel
I was not aware of the incident at all. Although my wife told me that she had a dream that I fell into a deep mud, warning me that I should be careful. I dismissed her warning because I was not on road block. I thought maybe because the CP Monitoring unit was arresting policemen collecting squeezed N20. I told her to go away with that her trick. I was surprised when I saw heavily armed Air Force men ordering me to come down from the vehicle. I obeyed and they dragged me to their base. When we got to the gate, they ordered one Okada man to take me in. I asked: ‘Where?’ and they replied that I would soon know. When I boarded the Okada, he went about a pole when we met other Air Force men, armed to the teeth. They said, ‘Yeh, welcome to Golgota’ I shouted. ‘What is my offence?’ but they started hitting me with club, gun and boot until I collapsed. It was when I regained consciousness that I saw myself in their hospital. My penis was bleeding and it is still paining me now. I think that they hit me with something on my penis. In fact, I remembered my wife and her earlier warning. Now, I will start going to church immediately I am fit.

They stripped me naked – Constable Innocent Anaba
As I was going to the office, I saw a long traffic hold-up near the PWD bus-stop and decided to see whether I could assist in controlling the traffic. When I came down, I saw an Air Force man beckoning on me to come. I innocently obeyed him. As I was approaching him, a boy in one of the buses on queue warned that I should run for my dear life. I attempted to run but it was too late as the Air Force guy pointed a rifle at me warning that if I should attempt to run, he would shoot me. I raised up my two hands and started walking towards him in confusion. As I got near him, he ordered me to kneel down. I knelt down in the full glare of the public. Just before I could say my name, three Air Force personnel stripped me naked and took me to their cell, stark naked. When I got to the cell, I met many of our men kneeling down with their hands up. They were being beaten to coma. In fact, my brother, I saw hell. My head is aching seriously now.

FG orders probe
However, worried by the two-day bloody clashes involving men of the Nigerian Police and Air Force in the Ikeja area of Lagos, the Federal Government has ordered a high level probe into the ugly development.

Vice President Atiku Abubakar gave the order in Abuja yesterday when he invited the Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Administration, Mr. Sunday Ehindero to the Presidential Villa.
The Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President, Dr. Onukaba Adinoyi-Ojo who disclosed this when he addressed State House correspondents said the Vice President insisted that all efforts should be geared to get to the root of the matter and all those responsible for it brought to book.

While expressing disgust at the culture of lawlessness and brutality against fellow Nigerians, the Vice President, hinted that the panel of investigation would comprise of personnel from the police, Air Force and other branches of the armed forces.

Vice President Atiku who had earlier spoken with authorities of the Nigeria Air Force, according to Ojo, directed that steps should be taken to ensure that there was a halt to such an incident in the future.
"The probe is going to be a joint one and that is why the panel will be made up of the police, Air Force and other uniformed officers involved. It will be a panel of officers from all arms of the Armed Forces. They will get to the root of this clash in Lagos.

"I think this country has witnessed a lot of bloodshed unnecessarily through something that could have been resolved by due process and people taking the laws into their own hands because they have the powers. This is what the Vice President was worried about," he pointed out.

Vice President Atiku, Ojo also disclosed, made contact with the governor of Yobe State, Alhaji Abba Bukar Ibrahim over a paid advertisement in some dailies on Wednesday by the Igbo community alleging victimisation in the north-eastern state.

Ojo said the Vice President called the governor’s attention to the allegation and asked him to take immediate steps to investigate the series of allegation by the Igbo and report back to the Federal Government.

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