Sharp twist in the investigation into soldiers shooting policemen in Taraba.

It has been reported that Military Panel investigating the killing of three policemen in Taraba has arrested two policemen ‘who leaked operation’ to Taraba kidnap kingpin.

The implications are dramatic. The military is saying to the police: You call us the bad guys, but let’s see who the bad guys are. Throughout this crisis, the narrative has been how the hardworking police were betrayed by the corrupt military.

Daily Trust reports that the two policemen working at Ibi police division “were arrested for allegedly leaking information to suspected kidnap kingpin Hamisu Wadume of plans to arrest him”.

The details of this arrest is yet to be confirmed, as Onyema Nwachukwu, the Army spokesman, has not responded to enquiries made as at the time of filing this report.

The following are the highlights of the Military investigation so far:

1) Apart from arrest of the two policemen, the investigative panel has also ordered the arrest of five soldiers who were at the Army checkpoint.

2) Employees of the suspected kidnap kingpin numbering up to hundred are on the run for fear of the persecution.

3) The Army has dismantled the two Army checkpoints along the road where the killings occurred while the bodies of those killed have been conveyed to Abuja.

4) Among those being hunted are drivers of commercial vehicles and motorcycles belonging to the kidnap kingpin suspect, which is why many of them are on the run for fear of vendetta and misdirected aggression.

5) The tension between the Military and the Police remains high. The Police accuse the Army of killing their men in cold blood, while presenting them as kidnappers. However, the Army said the Police was making “inciting and inflammatory” comments over the incident. And it warned of a possible escalation of the crisis.

6) The Defense Headquarters has directed the Army Battalion in Taraba to locate the suspected kidnapper.

7) The Army Captain that ordered the shooting of the police officers has been arrested.

But by now arresting police officers that leaked the operational details of the Police, the Army is basically saying that the Police are the original sinners. This may be calculated to dampen the sanctimonious attitude the Police has displayed.

The nation has not seen the last of this Military-Police standoff. But we must move beyond personal egos and figure out a way to tackle a major security crisis in Nigeria. It should not be about the Army or the Police. It should be about Nigeria.