The Yobe State Police Command has refuted an online report claiming that two police officers were involved in a robbery in Potiskum and that the police disrupted court proceedings to shield the accused. In a statement issued on Friday in Damaturu, DSP Dungus Abdulkarim, spokesperson for the command, described the report titled “Police disrupt court proceeding, take out colleagues accused of robbery in Yobe” as “misleading and malicious.”
Abdulkarim clarified that there is no record of any robbery involving police personnel in Potiskum or elsewhere in Yobe State. He detailed an incident on February 23, in which a truck collided with a motorcycle in the Zangon Alhazai area of Potiskum. Following the accident, a bail request was made by ASC Abubakar Umar from the Nigerian Correctional Service on behalf of the truck driver. While bail was granted, the police retained the truck as the motorcycle victim was still undergoing treatment, and the investigation into reckless driving was ongoing. A confrontation ensued, leading to Umar’s arrest for obstructing police operations.
In response to accusations of disrupting court proceedings, Abdulkarim explained that the Area Commander, following standard procedure, directed officers back to the station since the case pertained to Fundamental Human Rights, a matter beyond the magistrate’s authority. “At no point did police personnel invade the court or forcibly retrieve colleagues,” he emphasized.
The Yobe Police Command has demanded that the media outlet retract the report and issue an apology, warning of potential legal action if these demands are not met.
In response to the incident, the Yobe chapter of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) had earlier called on the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Garba Ahmed, to investigate and possibly prosecute the Area Commander for allegedly interfering in court matters. NBA Chairperson, Mrs. Altine Ibrahim, criticized the police’s actions, calling it an “unacceptable invasion of the court,” and reaffirmed that no one is above the law, urging police compliance with the court order to return the officers to the Medium Correctional Centre in Potiskum.
