Plateau govt to investigate killing of UNIJOS student by army personnel

The Plateau State government has announced that it would investigate the killing of a 300-level student of the University of Jos, Rinji Bala, by security agents.

The government’s position was made known through a statement by the director of press and public affairs, Makut Macham, on Wednesday in Jos, the state’s capital.

The statement said Governor Simon Lalong is shocked and sad over the death of Mr Bala, who was said to have been mistakenly killed by security personnel along Zaria Road, in Jos on May 12.

The statement said the governor has directed that a thorough investigation be carried out to unravel the circumstances surrounding the killing of the young man.

PREMIUM TIMES reported how Mr Bala, 20, was killed on Tuesday along Zaria Road, an incident the Special Task Force, Operation Safe Haven (OPSH), in Plateau State, confirmed.

According to Ibrahim Shittu, a major and the Media Officer of OPSH, personnel of the task force responded to a distress call on activities of cultists and armed robbers around the area and arrested seven suspects.

He explained that Mr Bala and four other suspects were cleared and released, but that on their way out, a personnel on duty mistook them for escaping suspects and opened fire on them.