Four soldiers have been tried by the Nigerian Army, dismissed, and handed over to the Niger State Police Command after they were involved in the fatal stabbing of a National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) officer during an altercation on a highway, the command announced on Friday, May 24, 2024.

According to the state police command on its Facebook page, the soldiers, identified as Sani Munzani, 24; Abubakar Auwalu, 26; Abubakar Sani, 23; and Muazu Hassan, 22, committed the act in the Bida area of the state.

The arrested soldiers were posted by the state police command on Friday.

The command reported that a team of NDLEA officers, conducting a stop-and-search operation at Ramat Junction, Bida, flagged down a motorcycle with two soldiers in civilian attire and requested identification.

The soldiers allegedly refused to produce identification, prompting the NDLEA officers to search their bags, which yielded no incriminating items.

This led to an argument, and the soldiers left the scene, returning later with more soldiers to confront the NDLEA officers.

The command wrote: “During the altercation, NDLEA officer Kingsley Chimetalo was stabbed in the back with a knife by one of the soldiers, who also took his rifle. The injured officer was taken to Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Bida, where he later died.

Following an investigation by the police and 18 Brigade of the Nigerian Army, Bida, six soldiers were identified as involved in the incident. Four were court-martialed and dismissed, while two escaped.

According to the police statement: “The four soldiers were handed over to the police for prosecution. Sani Munzani confessed to stabbing the officer. All suspects are under investigation at SCID, Minna, and will be charged to court once the investigation is concluded.”

Below is a screenshot of the statement by the state police command.