The Wadume Kidnap Saga: Arrest, Military Rescue and Controversy
This post revisits the dramatic capture of Hamisu Bala, alias Wadume, the notorious kidnap kingpin from Taraba State. In August 2019, the Police Intelligence Response Team tracked him to his hometown in Ibi and arrested him without a fight. As the operatives transported Wadume to Abuja, soldiers at a military checkpoint ambushed the police vehicle. The attack left three officers and a civilian dead. Led by an army captain later found on Wadume’s payroll, the soldiers freed the handcuffed suspect with hacksaws and spoons. Two weeks later, police operatives cornered Wadume in Kano and rearrested him. He confessed on camera that military personnel had opened fire to facilitate his escape. In July 2022, he was sentenced to seven years in prison. His term, backdated to 2019, ended in April 2024. My take: How did the military officer responsible for killing policemen go unpunished? This case exposes deep collusion and raises serious questions about justice and accountability in Nigeria.
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