Police speak on viral video it was mastermind of Bauchi robbery

The Bauchi State Police Command has dismissed as “false and misleading” a viral video clip on social media platforms insinuating alleged involvement of policemen in robbery incident in Dambam, Dambam Local Government Area of the state.
The Commissioner of Police in the state, Phillips Maku, gave the clarifications at a press conference on Wednesday in Bauchi.
Maku dismissed the video clip insinuating the police either participated in the robbery or masterminded it, describing it as “false, misleading and a calculated attempt by mischief makers to incite the public against the police”.
He said the police in Dambam had on February 18 received a reported robbery incident at Dam Village on Kano-Maiduguri Road.
Maku explained that the police had mobilized personnel to the scene of the incident to calm the victims and chased the nine robbers into a nearby bush.
He added: “It was during the period that a group of motorists from Kano axis heading to Maiduguri arrived the scene and met the victims and the police patrol vehicle parked.
“Consequently, when the team came back to the scene and met some angry drivers with the victims, they then maliciously accused the police of being responsible for the robbery.
“Unfortunately, at that time, the victims could not refute the allegation as they were traumatised, but at the palace of the District Head of Dambam, they exonerated the police.
“The statement by the victims doused the tension and put the situation under control, only for the command to see the unfortunate video clip on social media.
“We are advising the public to disregard this video as it is unfounded and I have directed for a discreet investigation into the incident and the purported video clip and findings will be made public.”
Also reacting, Alhaji Lamido Suleiman, the representative of the District Head of Dambam, corroborated the statement of the Commissioner of Police.
Suleiman said he had personally interviewed some of the victims when they were taken to the palace of the District Head of Dambam, who also exonerated the police.
He said he personally dispelled irate youths who gathered at the palace trying to burn down the police patrol vehicle alleged to have been used for the robbery.
He said: “The victims told me that it was not the police that robbed them; in fact the police were actually the ones that rescued them and chased the robbers into the bush.”
Also, one of the victims, Umar Mohammed of Ambursa, Kebbi State, told newsmen that policemen came to the scene of the robbery and trailed the robbers into a nearby bush.
Mohammed recounted that irate crowd attempted to beat up the policemen who were returning to the scene of the incident after chasing the robbers away.
He equally denied insinuation that they were robbed by the police.