PANDEF National Publicity Secretary, Ken Robinson made the call in a statement issued in Port Harcourt on Monday and made available to our correspondent.

Robinso said PANDEF condemns the delay and nonchalant manner in which investigations on the matter are being conducted.

The statement reads, “The killing of the young man was reportedly carried out in front of a popular hotel in the Wuse Zone 4 area of Abuja on Sunday, 12th September 2021.Toritseju was said to have been picked up by a friend, one Sani Saleh, from his home; they went out to a couple of places and eventually ended up at the hotel, where he was attacked and killed.The family was called in the morning of the next day to identify the body of their son, which was abandoned overnight, in front of the Hotel.About four months after, there has been nothing but excuses and pretexts from the police in Abuja, while those who cut short the life of a promising young Nigerian of Niger Delta extraction are walking freely and perhaps planning their next evil act. The Police has not provided any substantial feedback on the matter to the family, meanwhile, all the parties who were with the deceased at the time of the crime have been arrested, released and rearrested.

He states that the handling of the case reflects the general disposition of the Nigerian Police to cases like this, where people are killed and the perpetrators are never arrested nor brought to book.

the PANDEF spokesperson stated “PANDEF condemns this attitude of the police, in the strongest terms, and demands that immediate steps should be taken to speed up the investigation and arrest the masterminds behind the murder of our son, Toritseju Emmanuel Jackson. The danger of this lackadaisical behaviour of the police, in this matter and several others before it, is that it could impel citizens to take matters into their hands since the government and the Police are failing to provide justice.Situations like this reinforce the demand for restructuring of the country. The nation’s security architecture, like everything else, has become obsolete and outmoded. How can people raise children, sponsor them through school, only to be killed in the streets of Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, and the police is doing little or nothing about it? Is it because of where he came from or because the parents are not people in the ‘corridors of power’? The life of every Nigerian, no matter his or her tribe, religion or status, is sacrosanct and should be so esteemed. The Nigeria Police must do everything within its powers, and within the law, to unravel the killers of Toritseju Emmanuel Jackson and bring them to justice. Who killed Toritseju Emmanuel Jackson? The government and the police must provide the answer.The deceased, until his death, was a law graduate from Buckingham University, in the United Kingdom, who returned home to attend the Nigerian law school and participate in the mandatory National Youth Service Corps,”

IGP Adamu who was represented by Peter Ogunyanwo, the DIG in-charge of Research and Planning during an official visit to the Oyo State Police Command affirmed that police officers must be on the good side because they were employed to enforce law and prevent crime.

He said “We must be able to deliver quality service because it would determine the perspective of the public to the police. We must be on the side of the good because government employed us to enforce law and prevent crime. You must have the fear of God in everything you do. If the CP (commissioner of police) is not seeing you, remember that God is watching you. You must follow the rules of law at all times. They call us public servants; we must not turn ourselves to masters on the road; respect anyone you see in mufty on the road. The intention of most police officers on the road is to collect money but always remember that everything is not money”.

The officers have been identified as Sergeant Usman Danzumi, Inspector Mark Ediale and Sergeant Dahiru Musa.

The officers had arrested a notorious kidnapper, Alhaji Hamisu Bala, and were taking him to the station when the soldiers engaged them in a crossfire.

The Nigerian Police described the slain officers as Gallant men who were part of the team that arrested a number of notorious criminals, one of which is the notorious kidnapper Evans who was arrested in Lagos in June 2017.

Frank Mba, the spokeperson of the police force, in a statement released on Thursday night, August 8, knocked the Army for attempting to justify the unprovoked killing of the police officers by men of the Nigerian Army.

According to the Army, its officers received a distress call that some armed men were attempting to abduct Alhaji Hamisu Wadume.. The Army says in response to the distress call, its men stormed the area and fired gunshots at the ”suspected kidnappers.”

Read the press statement below
The attention of the Nigeria Police Force has been drawn to the Press Release by the Nigerian Army seeking to justify the unprovoked and unwarranted murder of three (3) Police officers and one (1) Civilian, and serious injury to other operatives, who were on legitimate criminal investigation activities to Taraba State, to arrest one Alhaji Hamisu Bala Wadume indicted in a series of high-profile kidnap incidents in the State.
In the best tradition of Esprit de Corps, Inter-Agency Harmony and National Interest, the Nigeria Police Force would naturally have kept quiet, but it has become imperative to set the record straight by addressing the obvious distortion of facts inherent in the Press Release by the Nigerian Army.
The most important question arising from the Nigerian Army Press Release is: Where is Alhaji Hamisu Bala Wadume? Alhaji Hamisu Bala Wadume is a millionaire kidnapper arrested by the Police but paradoxically treated as a ‘‘kidnap victim’’ by the Soldiers and subsequently ‘rescued’ by them. Where is he? Where is the rescued kidnapper?
Secondly, the Press Release was silent on the source of the alleged distress report or identity of the complainant, on the strength of whose report, the Army claimed had informed their decision to engage in the purported chase and rescue operation. Needless to state that in the true spirit of transparency and accountability, the Nigerian Army ought to have arrested the purported distress caller – if any – for obviously and deliberately furnishing them with false and misleading information. Besides, such arrest should in fact be made public!
Thirdly, it is not true that the Policemen failed to identify themselves as alleged in the Press Release. The video on the incident, now viral, wherein the voice of one of the soldiers was heard loudly proclaiming that the Policemen were from the Force Headquarters, Abuja speaks volume. Besides, the presence of the IRT personnel was well known to the Taraba Police Command as the Operatives officially and properly documented not only at the State Command Headquarters but also at the Wukari Area Command and the Ibi Divisional Headquarters. As a matter of fact, some of the Detectives from the Taraba State Command’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID) were part of the operation.
The Force also considers it insensitive, disrespectful and unpatriotic for the Press Release by the Army to continue to describe Policemen on lawful National Assignment as ‘suspected kidnappers’ long after it had become crystal clear to the Army that these are Law Enforcement Officers who unfortunately were gruesomely murdered in the line of duty by Nigerian soldiers attached to 93 Battalion, Takum.
In the final analysis, we leave the Nigerian Army authorities to provide Nigerians with answers on the following questions emanating from their Press Release:
· Where is the notorious kidnapper, Alhaji Hamisu Bala Wadume ‘rescued’ by the soldiers?
· How and why was Alhaji Hamisu Bala Wadume released by the soldiers?
· How could a kidnap suspect properly restrained with handcuffs by the Police escape from the hands of his military rescuers?
· If Alhaji Hamisu Bala Wadume is a ‘‘victim of kidnap’’ as claimed, and properly rescued by soldiers, why was he not taken to the Army Base for documentation purposes and debriefing in line with the Standard Operating Procedure in the Nigerian Army?
· Why were the Police Operatives shot at close range even after they had identified themselves as Police Officers on legitimate duty as evident in the video now in circulation?