Date Published: 05/26/11

Tagbo's murder: 34 FAB absolves soldiers

The authorities of the 34 Field Artillery Brigade (FAB) Obinze, near Owerri, Imo State have absolved officers of the brigade of any involvement in the murder of Citizen Tagbo Echefu.

Tagbo, a native of Nkwerre Local Government Area of the state was gunned down by men dressed in military fatigue during the April 26 governorship/House of Assembly polls.

Commander of the brigade, Brigadier-General AIG Danpome said investigations they have carried out showed that none of the officers of the brigade took part in the dastardly act.

Speaking Thursday when a delegation of Nigeria Newspoint led by editor, Mr. Gele Agbai visited him on invitation, Brig-Gen. Danpome disclosed that the army whose responsibility is to protect lives and property could not have participated in the gory enterprise of killing a defenceless citizen in his room.

According to him, the manner the late Tagbo was shot dead could not have been carried out by a professional soldier.

He disclosed that he has personally visited the bereaved family to ascertain how the incident happened and came out with the conclusion that it could not have been carried out by his officers.

 The brigade commander said he was told that Tagbo’s killers wore masks, pointing out that no soldier wore mask while carrying out his duty on the poll day.

Donpome, who described the current army as a democratic one scored his officers high with regards to the way they conducted themselves during the last general elections in the state.

‘You were in this state during the polls particularly during the governorship election.  Do you know what it means to control the crowd? We had to sleep with them along Port Harcourt road for days. I’m happy it is all over and there was no breakdown of law and order’, the commander enthused.

Nigeria Newspoint had in its May 16-17,2011 edition published a story entitled:’ Family mourns over killing of son by soldiers’.

It was on the basis of the story that the commander invited the editor of the newspaper to state  the command’s own side of the story.

On the editor’s entourage were Mr. Lambert Ojukwu, deputy editor and Ugochukwu Chimezie, a special correspondent with the newspaper.