The Zamfara State Police Commissioner, Muhammad Shehu Dalijan, has confirmed the arrest of the pioneer commander of the state-owned security outfit, Community Protection Guards (CPG), Colonel Rabi'u Garba Yandoto (rtd), over the alleged murder of a politician, Alhaji Magaji Lauwali Yandoto.
The late Yandoto, a renowned politician in the state, and his neighbour Malam Yahaya Galadima, were picked up on February 10 this year by the CPG personnel at Tashar-Dangoje village while attending a wedding ceremony.
They were taken to the CPG outpost in Tsafe for questioning on the allegation of aiding banditry in the locality, only for the family of Alhaji Magaji Lauwali to be told the following day that he had died in detention.
Confirming the arrest to Daily Trust, CP Dalijan said evidence in police possession uncovered how the ex-CPG commander personally murdered the politician on February 10, 2024 while in detention at the security outfit's facility in Tsafe.
The police commissioner explained that immediately after the murder of the politician, police arrested three CPG personnel on duty at the Tsafe CPG outpost for interrogation and that a few days after their arrest, the suspects confessed to the police how Lauwali was murdered, allegedly by the immediate past commander of the state-owned security outfit.
"What happened was that a few days after we arrested them, the suspects requested an audience with me and when they were brought to my office, one of them, who is like a son to the retired military officer, confessed how the former CPG commander executed Lauwali in the CPG's cell in Tsafe.
"The boy said after Lauwali and Galadima were brought to the station from Tashar Dangoge village, they informed the former CPG commander of the development. And later in the night, the boy added, the commander called him on the phone and told him that he was on his way to the station to see Lauwali. When he arrived, he ordered them to relocate other suspects who were being detained together with Lauwali to another room.
"Then, Col. Yandoto, the boy added, collected the key of the cell where the late politician was being kept. A few minutes later, he returned, handed over the key to them and drove off in his car. The suspect said immediately the retired military officer left they opened the cell only to find the lifeless body of Lauwali lying on the floor."
CP Dalijan added that, in the course of investigation, police discovered a video clip featuring Col. Yandoto making detrimental statements about the style of his operation as the CPG's commander. He said, "We were attracted to the video clip by the ex-military officer's statement about a slogan of his operation, which he tagged 'operation a ji shiru', which literary means 'operation silence'. This is a dangerous and suspicious statement when it relates to the way and manner in which Lauwali was murdered.
"So, based on the revelations by one of the suspects, the video clip and other findings, I dispatched police detectives to Kaduna State to pick up Col. Yandoto. He was brought to Gusau and we interrogated him. Consequently, I invited all heads of security agencies in the state and representatives of Zamfara State government to my office and ordered for the three suspects to be brought to my office to repeat their confessions to the hearing of the invited personalities.
"I asked the boy to repeat his confession, which he did in the presence of the state commander of the Nigerian Army, director of the Department of the Security Service (DSS), commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, state commissioner of internal security and his permanent secretary.
"The boy said Col. Yandoto is like a father to him because he was brought up by him, enrolled him into primary and secondary schools and also enlisted him into the Nigerian Army, hence, he will never lie against him and that what he said about him was true and nothing but the truth.
"The suspect confessed that Col. Yandoto personally executed Lauwali inside the CPG's cell. So, you see, this is a clear case of extra-judicial killing and we are going to handle it with utmost care," he said.
The commissioner reaffirmed that police had in its possession enough evidence linking Col. Yandoto with the brutal murder of late Lauwali and that as soon as investigation was completed, the former CPG commander would be charged to court for alleged extra-judicial killing.
Also, speaking to Daily Trust, a son of the deceased, Alhaji Nura Magaji Lauwali, said members of the family were invited three times to the police command in Gusau, for questioning during police investigation.
"My brother and I were invited by the police three times and the last time we went there was about two months ago. Malam Yahaya Galadima, our neighbour, who was arrested by the CPG personnel alongside my late dad, was also invited by the police.
"We are optimistic that the police and Zamfara State government will do justice to the family as far as this case is concerned. We are confident that the killers of our breadwinner will pay the price for their actions."
How the trouble started
On Saturday, February 10, 2024, the personnel of Zamfara Community Protection Guards (CPG) picked up late Magaji Lauwali and Yahaya Galadima at Tashar Dangoje village and took them to their office in Tsafe town for questioning over their alleged involvement in banditry.
Daily Trust reports that on arrival at the outpost, Lauwali and Galadima were briefed about the allegations they were arrested for. Though they denied committing the crime, Lauwali and Galadima were detained and tortured allegedly on the order of the ex-commander.
According to Galadima, the survivor of the torture, immediately after they arrived at the CPG office, a list of 31 people, which also had their names, which the guards on duty said were suspected collaborators of bandits, was shown to them.
"After we denied the allegation, they tied our hands with rope and locked us in a room. At around 2am, I was brought out of the room and abandoned at the premises of the facility. Later, I was taken to another room while Baba Magaji was left in the other. That was how they separated us and thereafter, I do not know what happened to him.
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"The following day (Sunday), the CPG personnel brought me out of the room, apologised, returned all my belongings and asked me to go home. Nobody briefed me about the condition of Baba Magaji until in the night when I heard that he died inside the cell and his corpse was deposited at the mortuary of Tsafe General Hospital," he concluded.
Lauwali's murder was politically motivated, family alleges
According to the deceased's elder son, Alhaji Nura, the murder of his father was politically motivated. "My late father has no business whatsoever with banditry. His murder is purely political and the family is accusing Col. Yandoto of complicity.
"The man and my late dad had been at loggerheads over their political differences. Again, two of the three arrested CPG personnel, Zainu and Siba, are errand boys of the ex-commander and they facilitated the arrest of my father.
"My father was accused of playing a role in the conferment of traditional title on the renowned bandits' leader Ado Aliero and for acting as a middleman between bandits and relatives of kidnapped people during negotiations for ransom. All these allegations are baseless and untrue.
"All we are demanding from the government is justice. My family will not let this matter be swept under the carpet because my father was innocent but he was killed, hence, we will not allow his murderers to go scot-free. We will continue to pursue the case until justice is done to the family," he stated.
