The Yobe State Police Command has refuted claims circulating online that two of its officers were involved in a robbery in Potiskum, as well as allegations of disrupting court proceedings to protect the accused officers.
In a statement released in Damaturu on Friday, Police Spokesman DSP Dungus Abdulkarim described the November 7 report titled, “Police Disrupt Court Proceedings, Take Out Colleagues Accused of Robbery in Yobe” as “misleading and malicious.” He firmly stated, “No police personnel invaded any magistrate’s court to free arraigned accused,” and denied any record of police involvement in a robbery in Potiskum or anywhere else in the state.
Abdulkarim clarified that on February 23, a traffic accident occurred in Potiskum’s Zangon Alhazai area involving a truck and a motorcycle. According to him, ASC Abubakar Umar of the Nigerian Correctional Service had sought bail for the truck driver, which was granted. However, the police held the vehicle for investigation, leading to a disagreement in which Umar was arrested for obstruction.
The Area Commander then reportedly instructed personnel to return to the station, emphasizing that this matter was beyond the magistrate’s jurisdiction, as it involved issues of fundamental human rights. At no point, Abdulkarim stressed, did the police attempt to forcefully retrieve officers from court.
The police command called for the immediate retraction of the report and an apology from the media outlet in question, warning of legal action if these demands are not met.
Meanwhile, the Yobe chapter of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has called on the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Garba Ahmed, to investigate the incident and prosecute the area commander involved. NBA Chairperson Mrs. Altine Ibrahim condemned the alleged police action, describing it as “an unacceptable invasion of the court” and stressing that “nobody is above the law.”
