Men of the Bauchi State Police Command have arrested a 60-year-old man, Umar Gwallaga; and his two sons for allegedly setting ablaze a patrol van belonging to the Federal Road Safety Corps.
Gwallaga and his sons, 42-year-old Nasiru and 39-year-old Usman, were also said to have attacked and injured an officer of the FRSC in the process.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, Ahmed Wakil, disclosed this to journalists in Bauchi on Sunday.
Wakil said the incident happened on Friday along Bauchi-Gombe Road.
He said the three suspects, who were in a Mitsubishi Pajero Jeep, were on their way to Gombe from Bauchi when FRSC officials on patrol stopped them but the driver refused to stop.
Wakil, a Superintendent of Police said, “On April 7, 2023, at about 6am, one Nasiru Umar, 42 years old of Gwallaga, Bauchi, Bauchi State, loaded his family members in his Mitsubishi Pajero Jeep from Bauchi to Gombe State.
“On reaching Tashan Durumi village in Kirfi Local Government Area, a patrol team of FRSC on a federal highway, performing their strategic duties while on stop-and-search, stopped the vehicle but the driver refused to stop.
“At about 3pm, while he was returning from Gombe to Bauchi, he was stopped and asked to present particulars of the vehicle, he then came out of the vehicle and attacked one of the FRSC personnel, Anas Aliyu, and as a result, he had a dislocation on his hand.
“He further went and attacked the patrol team driver and then set the patrol van on fire. In the process, his father, Umar Gwallaga, 60 years old and his younger brother, Usman Gwallaga, 39 years old joined him in attacking the personnel.
“The suspect and his conspirators were arrested and are under Police detention at Kirfi Police Division.”
The police spokesperson said the state Commissioner of Police, Aminu Alhassan, has directed the Kirfi Divisional Police Officer to conduct preliminary investigations while the case file should be transferred to the SCIIB for further investigations.
Meanwhile, in a First Incident Report prepared by FRSC Bara Unit Command on Friday titled “Mob attack on patrol team,” the Sector Command stated that, at about 3.05pm, its patrol team along Bara-Gombe Road had an encounter with an offender with a Mitsubishi Pajero Jeep with number plate BAU 976HB.
“As a result of the encounter, the patrol vehicle was set ablaze and was burnt completely. The offender has been arrested and is under police custody,” the report read.
The FRSC Sector Commander, Yusuf Abdullahi, condemned the incident, describing it as unfortunate.
