The death of a police officer who was allegedly killed while in detention over a purported arms deal has pitched his family against the Kaduna State Police Command. The family wants an investigation into his death.

The family of a deceased police officer, Nanbol Audu is spoiling for a showdown with the authorities of the Kaduna State police command for alleged murder.

Audu, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) from Langtang North Local Government Area of Plateau State arrested along with two others for alleged arms deal was shot to death while in police detention.

The death of a police officer who was allegedly killed while in detention over a purported arms deal has pitched his family against the Kaduna State Police Command. The family wants an investigation into his death.

The family of a deceased police officer, Nanbol Audu is spoiling for a showdown with the authorities of the Kaduna State police command for alleged murder.

Audu, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) from Langtang North Local Government Area of Plateau State arrested along with two others for alleged arms deal was shot to death while in police detention.

The Kaduna State police commissioner, Alhaji Umar Shehu said the deceased committed suicide by shooting himself to death with a pistol while in detention, but the family has accused the police of murder with a demand for investigation into the cause of the death of Audu. The family specifically asked the Inspector General of Police, Suleiman Abba, to investigate the matter and fish out those behind the alleged killing.

The late Audu was until his death, the officer-in-charge of police armoury at the police command in Kaduna before his arrest and detention on October 20, for allegedly selling firearms to criminals.

According to the Kaduna State police commissioner, Umar Shehu who paraded the late police officer along with two other suspects, Zingkur Joseph and Samuel Adamu, both from Plateau State, loaded some firearms from the police armoury and were arrested by the policemen on guard.

The police commissioner while parading the suspects, said ” On 20th October,2014 at about 2230 hours, the Command’s Armament Officer, DSP Nanbol Audu came to the Armoury with two unknown persons in a private vehicle, parked behind the Armoury and loaded some firearms into the vehicles. Policemen on guard suspected foul play and immediately stopped the vehicle from leaving the premises”.

According to him, “Upon interrogation, the State Armament Officer could not give satisfactory account of his action which led to his arrest and the two other occupants of the vehicle, one Zingkur Joseph of Trade Centre Jos and Samuel Adamu of Kuru Jos-South Local Government Area of Plateau State, respectively. During search at the spot, 11 G3 Rifles already concealed under the vehicle seat were recovered.”

Shehu stated that “further investigation revealed that, one of the two civilian suspects is a blacksmith who specialise in manufacturing of locally made firearms. The two suspects came from Jos, Plateau State on arrangement to purchase the said firearms from the Armament Officer at the cost of N400,000.”

It was gathered that the arrest of the police officer heightened ethnic and religious sentiments among some police officers who accused the deceased of selling arms to his kinsmen to kill their own people in Plateau.

Sources claimed that a particular senior police officer who felt bitter about the incident was said to have beaten the Audu thoroughly while in detention at the police cell and promised to further deal with him.

But about ten days after, precisely on October 31, the police officer was found dead in the police cell at the Gabasawa Police station, a stone throw from the Kaduna State police command where he was being held pending investigations.

A police man who was on duty on the day of the incident told journalist that they heard a gunshot in the cell at about 5:30am and upon rushing to the cell, they discovered that the police officer was shot death and the pistol beside him.

The police commissioner who confirmed the incident said the late police officer shot himself to death while in detention.
“It is true the officer killed himself this morning (of October 31, 2014) at about 5:40am” the police commissioner said.
According to him, “The incident occurred in one of our offices. Some police officers on duty gave him a gun and while they were not with him, he shot himself in the stomach.

“They heard the sound of gunshot and rushed back, but found him dead. Three officers have been arrested in connection with the incidence” the police commissioner said and ruled out possibilities of murder.

But the family members of the late officer are accusing the police authorities for trying to cover up murder.
They also alleged that the police has not formally informed them about the death of their son and bread winner, neither have they shown them the corpse.

The step-mother of the deceased, Mrs. Elizabeth Audu who came from Jos to see the deceased in detention on the day he died, alleged that some police officers frustrated all her efforts to see the deceased, adding that eventually when they told her that her son killed himself and she started wailing and weeping, one of the officers threatened to kill her, if she doesn’t not leave their office.

Narrating how encounter with the police in her attempts to visit her late step son amidst tears, Mrs. Audu said “I heard of his arrest and detention so I decided to come to Kaduna to see him. I arrived in Kaduna from Jos on Friday October 31, 2014, the day he was killed”.
She said on arrival to Kaduna, she stopped over at the deceased resident at the police barracks before proceeding to the Gabasawa police station where the deceased was being detained.

She said “On arrival at the station, I said I came to visit him, but I was told that he was taken to CID at police the Comand’s Headquarters.
“When I got to the CID, they told me that I should go back to Gabasawa where he was being detained saying that they don’t keep detainees.
“When I got back to the station, I was told to wait for the officer in charge. I waited for the officer for several hours but he did not show up. His deputy told me that since his boss’s had not come, I should go and see the Command’s Police Public Relations Officer, one Aminu Lawan.

“When I met the PPRO and I introduced myself to him, he said Madam sorry for what happened, but the police officer who took me to him signalled him not to tell me what had happened; the PPRO then told me that he was not the right person to give me information about the deceased.

“The PPRO directed a police woman to take me to the Homicide Department. When I got to the homicide department, they directed me to another office again. The officer I met in that office asked me to go to my brother’s house and they will give me information about him. I told the officer that I had been to the house on my arrival from Jos and had come and see him detained.

“I was taken to the Deputy Commissioner of police in charge of CID who told me that only the Inspector General of Police can tell me about my son.

“He asked me if I can talk to the IG if he calls him. I said yes I would like to talk to the IG about it. So he dialled a number, whether it was truly the IG that he called, I can’t tell, but the man answered the called and he told him that one woman wanted to talk to him, so he handed the phone to me.

“The supposed IG told me on phone that the Police Commissioner gave him information about the arrest of my brother verbally and he ordered for thorough investigation.
“As I was speaking with the IG, the DCP snatched the phone from me to stop me from speaking further, saying that I wanted him to be sacked.

“I told him that I was desperate to see my son. He asked me to go back to the homicide department again. I went back to the homicide department but the officer I met there turned me back again, saying that he was not in a position to give me any information about my son.

“At this point, a woman police who noticed how they were trying to cover up by frustrating me persuaded the officer to tell me the truth of what had happened.

“It was at this point that they told me that my son committed suicide in detention by shooting himself with a pistol.
I charged at the man and wanted to grab him, and then he ran behind the police woman and shielded himself with her.
“I started wailing and weeping. I started shouting and asking them to produce who killed my brother. I told them that they killed him because it is not possible for somebody who was in the cell to shoot himself. Who gave him the gun in the cell?

“One of the police officers said I was disturbing them and asked me to go out of the premises or he will kill me. Until this moment, they have not formally informed us about the killing and they have not shown us his corpse”.
Also speaking, wife of the late police officer, Mrs. Patricia Audu and his elder sister, Mrs. Nanwar Bongvap maintained that it was strange that somebody who was in police detention could shoot himself with a gun.

Mrs. Audu said she does not believe that her husband killed himself, insisting that the police killed him and are trying to cover up by saying that he committed suicide.

“How can somebody who was detained in the cell with handcuffs and wearing only pants and singlet kill himself. How did he get the gun that he used to himself?,”she queried.

She stated further that the police authorities have not found it decent to formerly inform the family, neither have they shown the family the corpse.

“The police commissioner went to the radio and newspapers to announce that my husband committed suicide by shooting himself with a pistol, but he has not found it worthy to inform us. As I am talking with you, we have not seen the corpse, we don’t know where they kept it, we are still waiting for them to tell us what happened” she said amidst tears.

She appealed to the Inspector General of Police to investigate the matter to establish the truth and punish whoever is behind the killing of her husband.

Describing the death of the police officer as shocking, Mr. Nimkur Ndandri, one of the leaders of the deceased ethnic Taroh community in Kaduna, expressed dismissed claims by the police commissioner that Nanbol committed suicide while in police cell.”I am shocked that the police authorities are claiming that he killed himself in the cell. That is a big lie. They killed him and they want to cover up. They family of the decease live in the barracks and as I am talking with you, the police authorities in Kaduna have not come to inform the family of what happened.

What they are saying is not convincing to us and we will use all legal means to ensure that justice is done.
“They arrested him and paraded him on October 20, 2014 and kept him in detention for about 10 days without charging him to court. They law says you must be charged to court within 24 hours, why was he not charge to court as prescribed by law. Even if they claimed they were investigating, they ought to have charge him to court and keep him in remand custody while they go about with their investigations.
“We are calling for thorough investigations by the Inspector General of Police because as far as we are concerned, the authorities of the Kaduna state police command are trying to cover up something by cooking up this suicide story. This is not convincing enough,” he said.
Quote: The Kaduna State police commissioner, Alhaji Umar Shehu said the deceased committed suicide by shooting himself to death with a pistol while in detention, but the family has accused the police of murder with a demand for investigation into the cause of the death of Audu. The family specifically asked the Inspector General of Police, Suleiman Abba, to investigate the matter and fish out those behind the alleged killing

Quote: The late Audu was until his death, the officer-in-charge of police armoury at the police command in Kaduna before his arrest and detention on October 20, for allegedly selling firearms to criminals

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Family of Nanbol Audu, the allegedly murdered Police Officer Seek Justice