Army: How gunmen killed, buried General in shallow grave

The Nigerian Army has revealed how the suspected killers of Major General IM Alkali killed and buried him in a shallow grave in Plateau State.

Alkali was killed while driving to Bauchi along the Abuja-Jos Road in Plateau State on September 3, 2018.

Speaking in court on Thursday, October 26, 2023, one of the witnesses presented to testify in the matter said the Headquarters 3 Division, Nigerian Army, was tasked to search and rescue the General after his sudden disappearance.

The first witness said the General’s vehicle was dumped inside a pond, adding that some youths and women in the Dura Du area of Plateau State attempted to frustrate the search operations by their provocative acts, but the troops remained professional in their task.

He stated that the search led to the arrest of a mortician who was engaged in exhuming the remains of the General that were buried in a shallow grave within the vicinity of the pond.

He disclosed that the body of the late General was relocated to another site 10km away and reburied by the suspects.

The witness added that the body of the General was finally recovered and the killers admitted their various roles in the heinous act.

During his presentation, the witness testified with graphic sequence of events just as he also acquainted the court on how the recovered body was subjected to forensic investigations by an expert pathologist that proved that it was the remains of Alkali.

The second prosecution witness, on his part, reiterated the testimony of the first witness, noting that credible human intelligence pointed to the culpability of some people around Dura Du area which made the 3 Division Team to conduct intense search operations.

This he said led to the discovery of the remains of the late General and the uncovering those behind his murder.

The court, therefore, adjourned to November 6, 2023, to enable the third and last witnesses to bring forward the relevant pictures and video clips as documentary evidence as well as for the pathologist to testify before the court.

Commending the prosecution team, the General Officer Commanding 3 Division and Commander Operation SAFE HAVEN, Major General AE Abubakar, affirmed the commitment of the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General TA Lagbaja, to ensuring the case was pursued to a logical conclusion and those found culpable brought to book within the provisions of the law.

The Star