The Bauchi State Police Command has arrested a 60-year-old man, Umar Gwallaga, and his two sons, Nasiru and Usman, for allegedly setting ablaze a patrol van belonging to the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC).
The trio was also accused of attacking and injuring an officer of the FRSC in the process.
The incident occurred on Friday along the Bauchi-Gombe Road.
According to Ahmed Wakil, the state Police Public Relations Officer, the suspects were in a Mitsubishi Pajero Jeep, en route to Gombe from Bauchi, when FRSC officials on patrol stopped them. However, the driver refused to stop, and the suspects reportedly attacked the FRSC officials.
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.”
Wakil added that the state Commissioner of Police, Aminu Alhassan, had directed the Kirfi Divisional Police Officer to conduct preliminary investigations, while the case file should be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Bureau (SCIIB) for further investigations.
The FRSC Bara Unit Command also prepared a First Incident Report titled “Mob attack on patrol team,” stating that at about 3.05pm, its patrol team along Bara-Gombe Road had an encounter with an offender in 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.
