Missing General: Army Reveals Outcome Of Search So Far (Full Statement)

PRESS BRIEFING ON THE UPDATE OF CORDON AND SEARCH OPERATION ON
THE MISSING MAJOR GENERAL IDRIS M ALKALI (RETIRED) BY THE GENERAL
OFFICER COMMANDING 3 DIVISION MAJOR GENERAL BENSON AKINROLUYO ON 26
OCTOBER 2018.

Protocol

1. Gentlemen of the press, you are all welcome to 3 Division
Conference Room, the venue for today’s press briefing. In line with
the Division’s drive of keeping the public informed through the
media about the cordon and search operation being conducted for the
missing senior officer, Major General Idris Alkali. I shall be
briefing you on the latest development based on available
verifiable facts.

2. You would recall that on 2 September 2018 at about 8:00pm,
unknown gunmen attacked a shopping complex located at Lafande
Community on the outskirt of Jos metropolis in Dura-Du District of
Jos South Local Government Area of Plateau State. As a result of
the attack, 11 people were killed while others sustained various
degrees of injuries. The attack triggered protest by the people of
the area on the morning of 3 September 2018. Irate youths in their
hundreds trooped out, blocked the Eastern Bypass with stones and
other dangerous objects.

The immediate past Chief of Administration (Army), Major General
Idris Alkali who recently disengaged from the Nigerian Army after
35 years meritorious service to the Nigerian Army and the country
was travelling from Abuja to Bauchi via Jos same day. The senior
officer was travelling alone in his black Toyota Corolla car with
registration number, KWARA MUN 670 AA. Credible intelligence
revealed that his car was stopped and he introduced himself as a
general to the hoodlums who had barricaded the road that he was
just passing through to Bauchi.

The senior officer was assaulted and killed. Thereafter, his
belongings such as clothing, cash, phones and laptop were shared by
those who killed him. His body was dragged before being moved to
somewhere else and his car was driven and pushed into the abandoned
mining pit filled with water. The irate youths who followed his car
to the abandoned mining pit filled with water on many tri-cycles
popularly known as “Keke NAPEP” jubilated for reason best known to
them or for mission accomplished. He was later buried in a shallow
grave in an area popularly known as, “No man’s land” within the
community.

3. Headquarters 3 Division was tasked to conduct a search and
rescue operation for the missing senior officer by the Army
Headquarters. The search and rescue operation is headed by the
Commander 3 Division Garrison, Brigadier General Umar Muhammed.
During the search and rescue operation at the Dura-Du District,
soldiers deployed were warned not to eat and drink anything from
the community for fear of being poisoned. Hence, soldiers were fed
from the barracks throughout the duration of the operation.

At the onset of task, on 20 September 2018, rented protesters
made up of women from Lafande community and beyond were mobilized
in their hundreds to protest against the evacuation of water in the
abandoned mining pit. The women claimed that the evacuation of
water in the abandoned mining pit would spiritually affect their
children by making them fall sick and their husbands would die. The
protest by the women was therefore seen as an attempt to prevent us
from showing the whole world the heinous crimes the community had
committed over the years which were still ongoing before now.

After the cordon and search operation, some people were
apprehended. Those who were apprehended were those who witnessed or
heard about the incident but failed to report to the nearest
security agency. Also apprehended were those who were at the scene
of the incident as at the time the senior officer was killed.
Please be informed that some were released and others paraded and
handed over to the Nigerian Police for further investigation.

4. Gentlemen of the press, ladies and gentlemen, having pumped
the water from the abandoned mining pit for 2 weeks or thereabout
despite protests by women attributing all kinds of mythical
affliction that would befall their husbands and children, the
following were recovered:

a. On 21 September 2018, recovery of a door of a white bus.

b. On 29 September 2018, a black Toyota Corolla Car with
registration number KWARA MUN 670 AA, a customized T-Shirt with
Nigerian Army Logo and the General’s name inscribed on it, as well
as a pair of canvass shoe belonging to the deceased senior
officer.

c. On 2 October 2018, a white Toyota LiteAce bus with
registration number PLATEAU RYM 307 XA, which was reported missing
with the driver on 24 June 2018 and a red Rover car with
registration number BAUCHI AG 645 TRR which was allegedly reported
to have been buried along with the occupants on 31 January
2013.

You will have the opportunity to interact with the families of
the owners of the Toyota LiteAce Bus and Rover car immediately
after this press briefing.

5. On 29 September 2018, when the general’s black Toyota Corolla
car was recovered from the abandoned mining pit, those involved and
those not involved in the killing of the senior officer held a
meeting to relocate his corpse away from the community. This is
because of the inherent danger it would attract to the community.
Consequently, a 10 man team was constituted to relocate his corpse
earlier buried in a shallow grave within the community to
elsewhere. A specialist in preservation of corpse was
contracted.

The specialist assisted in exhuming his corpse from the shallow
grave to elsewhere. Only few trusted members of the community knew
where his corpse was relocated to. The specialist is currently in
our custody. Again, this is an attempt to cover up the heinous
crime committed by the community. There exist other evidence and
indicators that pointed to the fact that those who were involved in
the killing of the senior officer are being supported and backed by
community leaders within the Dura-Du District.

In recent times, they have been staging press conferences and
writing petitions in order to smear the image of the Division in
particular and the Nigerian Army in general. This Division will not
yield to the antics or blackmail by those who have committed this
dastardly crime. Therefore, the following people at large have been
declared wanted by the relevant authority based on their degree of
culpability in the killing of the senior officer:

a. Da Chuwang Samuel ( aka MORINHO). He is 28 years old and a
panel beater by profession. He hails from Doi Du village area of
Jos South Local Government Area of Plateau State. He was believed
to be the mastermind in the assault and killing of Major General
Idris Alkali.

b. Mr Nyam Samuel (aka SOFT TOUCH). He is 25 years old and a
panel beater by profession as well as younger brother of “Morinho”.
He was believed to have been involved in the assault and killing of
the senior officer.

c. Mr Pam Gyang Dung ( aka BOSS). He hails from Latya 2 Doi Du
Village in Jos South Local Government Area of Plateau State. His
profession is farming and mining. He is also the Mai Anguwa of
Latya 2. “Boss” who is 53 years old is a friend to “Morinho”. He
was also believed to be involved in the killing of Major General
Idris Alkali.

d. Mr Mathew Wrang (aka AMESCO). He is 27 years old. In
addition, one locally made pistol was recovered from his house
during cordon and search operation.

e. Mr Moses Gyang (aka BOSS). He is Pam Gyang Dung, aka “Boss”
son. He is 25 years old.

f. Mr Timothy Chuan. He is 26 years old. He is a tipper driver
and also a sand vendor by profession. He was identified to have
driven the senior officer’s car to Dura village and subsequently
pushed it into the abandoned mining pit filled with water.

g. Da Yakubu Rap. He is 52 years old and the district head of
Dura village. He co-chaired the meeting held to relocate the corpse
of the senior officer from a shallow grave to elsewhere immediately
his car was found in the abandoned mining pit filled with
water.

h. Mr Chuwang Istifanus Pwajok Stephen (aka TIFA). He is 46
years old and a surveyor/businessman by profession. He participated
in the meeting held to relocate the corpse of the senior officer
from a shallow grave to elsewhere after his car was found in the
abandoned mining pit filled with water.

Please note that 4 different sources not known to each other at
various times took us to the opened shallow grave where the senior
officer was earlier buried but subsequently removed. Furthermore,
sniffer dogs that have been cultured with the personal effects of
the senior officer led us to the same opened shallow grave. That
was the only grave we were led to by different people and sniffer
dogs. We did not go to any other grave as the operation was carried
out based on credible intelligence. Like I always say, the cordon
and search operation is intelligence driven and that is why the
operation has been conducted in line with international best
practices and respect for human rights. This further explains why
the Division did not clamp down on the entire community. Only the
perpetrators are being targeted.

6. At this point, let me reiterate that all the actors involved
in this dastardly act who are still at large are known to us. All
efforts are being made to get them arrested and be brought to
justice as their photographs and personal details are with the
relevant security agencies. The cordon and search operation
conducted by own troops has really exposed the heinous crimes being
committed by the few but fully supported and concealed by the
entire community. I want to commend members of the public for their
cooperation and still solicit for anyone with credible information
on where the senior officer was reburied. It is the civic
responsibility of the Dura-Du community to produce the corpse of
the deceased senior officer and those who were involved in the
killing of the senior officer.

This Headquarters can be reached on GSM number 09074028881 as
sources of information would be protected and treated as
confidential. Let me use this opportunity to appreciate all those
that supported us during the search and rescue operation. A letter
had earlier been formally written to appreciate Vehicle Inspection
Office, National Emergency Management Agency and all the good and
peace-loving people on the Plateau. In the same vein, let me also
appreciate the support from all other security agencies such as
Operation SAFE HAVEN, Nigerian Air Force, Nigeria Police,
Department of State Services, National Security and Civil Defence
Corps and Fire Service as well as all other security agencies for
their support throughout the entire operation.

Above all, let me appreciate the Chief of Army Staff (COAS),
Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai and his Principal Staff Officers
for their strategic guidance and support. I also want to appreciate
the Director of Military Intelligence and the Provost Marshal
(Army) for their technical and specialist support. Similarly, I
wish to commend and appreciate all commanders and principal staff
officers of this Division for their hard work and diligence. Our
operations will continue until the corpse of the deceased senior
officer is recovered and the perpetrators of this heinous crime are
arrested.

7. Finally, the Division also wishes to emphasize its adherence
to the principles and respect of human rights in the discharge of
its constitutional roles. It further calls on everyone within its
Area of Responsibility to remain vigilant and report any suspected
breach of the peace to security agencies.

8. Thank you and God bless. I will now take questions from you
and clarify doubt if any.