The Gombe State Police Command on Friday commenced investigation into the alleged assault of a police inspector, Ibrahim Musa, by the Area Commander, ACP Alex Gwaza.
The command’s Public Relations Officer, DSP Buhari Abdullahi, disclosed this in a telephone interview, saying the Commissioner of Police had directed the Criminal Investigation Department to conduct a full and transparent investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident.
Abdullahi said the command was aware of the allegations, noting that conflicting accounts had emerged from the parties involved.
“We are aware of the report and we have started investigation in that regard,” the police spokesperson said.
He explained that the investigation became necessary because both the inspector and the Area Commander had presented different accounts of what transpired.
“There are different claims from both the inspector and the officer. It is only investigation that will clear this,” Abdullahi said.
According to him, the inspector, identified as Ibrahim Musa, alleged that he was beaten after being detained for two days.
He said the alleged detention was connected to what the Area Commander considered disobedience to an official directive.
“The inspector disobeyed his order. He gave some directives and the inspector decided to flout them,” Abdullahi said.
The police spokesperson, however, stressed that any disciplinary action against an officer should follow due process, adding that the circumstances surrounding the alleged assault would be established by the ongoing investigation.
He declined to comment further on the specific actions attributed to ACP Gwaza, saying doing so could prejudice the investigation.
“Like I have told you, the CID is investigating. So, I wouldn’t want to comment while the investigation is ongoing or has not yet been concluded,” he said.
Abdullahi identified the Area Commander involved in the incident as ACP Alex Gwaza and the affected inspector as Ibrahim Musa.
He added that the Commissioner of Police had specifically directed the CID to conduct a “full and transparent investigation” into the incident.
“I will assure you that between today and tomorrow, I’ll have the full details of what happened based on the investigation,” Abdullahi said.
The command’s position comes amid allegations surrounding the treatment of the inspector and the circumstances that led to the reported incident.