Two police officers have been dismissed from the Force for involvement in illegal arms manufacturing. Against media reports Tuesday that 70 residents lost their life in the attacks in Langtang South Local Government Area of Plateau State last Thursday, the Plateau State Police Command said that, they could confirm only 31 deaths and nine people who survived with injuries.
The state Commissioner of Police, Chris Olakpe who addressed the media on the attacks and sundry issues said the Police found the ‘screaming’ newspaper headlines mentioning 70 deaths as being off the mark.
“The figures presented, 70, cannot be objectively confirmed. We have 31 dead with their names and nine injured with names,” Olakpe said, but objected to a request by the newsmen to release the names.
The figures by the Police contrast sharply with those given by the Special Task Force (STF) in the state which said Wednesday that the Task Force killed over a hundred of the attackers.
In a related development, two police officers have been dismissed from the Force for involvement in illegal arms manufacturing.
Olakpe who disclosed this at the press briefing and suspects parade, said, “Two policemen who are members of arms production syndicate and suppliers of ammunition were apprehended, and in the spirit of the terms ably presented by the Inspector General of Police that there will not be any space for irresponsible and criminal elements in the force, the two policemen, namely Police Corporal Joseph Dakup, and Constable Dakogol Emmanuel have been dismissed from the Force and they are going to be prosecuted accordingly.”
He said this should be a warning to policemen that anyone fingered in any criminal activity would not be spared.
He added that the affected men would be prosecuted along with some civilian arms manufacturers who the police also paraded as having perfected the art of arms manufacturing and have fabricated rifles and revolver pistols.
Olakpe also disclosed that his men had been able to achieve fresh recovery of 15 vehicles which he showed to newsmen and appealed to the owners of the cars to visit the Police headquarters in Jos to identify and claim them
