When a yet-to-be-identified policeman shot and killed Donatus Vonkong, a Nigerian Army Warrant Officer, tensions rose at the Shehu of Borno Palace in Maiduguri.
On Wednesday, multiple sources told Daily Trust that the officer was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the event.
The event sparked chaos in the neighborhood, with enraged youngsters vowing to chase down police officers seen in the vicinity, but the military, while urging calm, stated the incident did not indicate any security agency rivalry.
Maj.-Gen. Jimmy Akpor, Director of Defence Information, claimed the episode did not depict inter-agency conflict and that it was a unique case.
According to the military spokesman, all security services have processes in place to handle such instances, and full investigations will be undertaken to prevent repetition.
He said, “In any case, when things like this happen, it could be accidental, but there are procedures for handling such issues. It does not suggest inter-agency conflicts. This is an isolated issue, and when they do occur, the various services have mechanisms for handling them.
“And I’m very sure that Operation HADIN Kai will investigate and carry out the necessary clear mechanism to ensure that it does not happen again. The most important thing is that we guide against future occurrences.
“There are mechanisms for handling such issues, it does not in any way portray conflicts between the military and the police. After all, they are all deployed together for the overall efforts of counter-insurgency operations over there.”