A district police officer has been detained in connection with the killing of two herders handed into his custody by vigilantes.
DSP Solomon Machu, DPO of Bassa council area of Plateau, is accused of shooting Musa Giwa and Ibrahim Sa’idu after they were handed over to him.
Parents of the two herders in Dogondaji village have expressed sadness.
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The parents, who spoke while picking the bodies of their children from the morgue at the Plateau Specialist Hospital, described the action of the DPO as barbaric and uncalled for, adding that he confirmed during cross examination that he killed herders on the account that they were armed robbers.
They said the officer killed them even though they were arrested with no arms to indicate they were criminals.
Daily Trust had on Tuesday reported how two herders who were in search of their missing cattle were killed in the said area.
Vigilantes and the police disagreed over who was responsible for the death of the herders.
The chairman of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) in the state, Malam Nura Abdullahi, on Monday told Daily Trust that vigilantes in the community arrested the herders and handed them to the police, but the police said they (herders) were not brought alive.
Confirming the incident on Wednesday, the command’s spokesperson, Ubah Gabriel, said all the officers involved in the incident had been detained.
He said, “The command is aware of the death of two herders in Bassa. The circumstances in which they met their untimely death are yet unclear. Every personnel involved is under detention. There are also allegations that the deceased are some of the hoodlums disturbing the area. Meanwhile, discrete investigation is ongoing.’’
