Police re-arrest Taraba kidnapping baron Hamisa Bala seat free by soldiers earlier this month

KIDNAPPING baron Hamisu Bala popularly known as Wadume whose escape from police custody earlier this month caused controversy when soldiers who rescued him shot three policemen in the process has been re-arrested.

In one of the biggest breaches of security ever known, the three policemen were shot dead by troops of the Nigerian Army who are suspected of being on the payroll of the notorious kidnapper. After shooting the Intelligence Response Team (IRT) policemen who arrested him in cold blood, the soldiers then set Mr Wadume free in what was a case of unprecedented collusion between the security forces and the underworld.

Enraged by the incident, the Nigeria Police Force claimed that the soldiers were in cahoots with the kidnappers and it has emerged that the army captain who ordered the shooting spoke with Mr Wadume on the phone 191 times.  According to one police, Mr Wadume maintained and oiled a machinery of security operatives, including police and military personnel from across Taraba State, who fed him with information on movements and location of victims for kidnapping.

President Muhammadu Buhari ordered an investigation into the incident and asked the security forces to capture Mr Wadume. Earlier today, police managed to capture Mr Wadume and he has since been taken to the Louis Edet House, Force headquarters in Abuja.

When he was originally set free, the killing of the IRT members, including Assistant Superintendent of Police Felix Adolije, Inspector Mark Ediale, Sergeants Usman Danzumi and Dahiru Musa as well as civilian Olajide Owolabi, sparked off a national outrage. After the killing, family members, individuals and groups called on the federal government to ensure justice was done on the matter.