Aliyu Imran, an official of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), was killed in Igabi Local Government Area of Kaduna State. SaharaReporters reported that Imran, an Assistant Superintendent of Narcotic 1, was set on fire by an angry mob in the Gadan-Gayan area of Igabi LGA.
This occurred after a vehicle, which Imran and some colleagues had been chasing, crashed, leading to fatalities.
“The officer and his colleagues were pursuing a suspected drug dealer when the suspect, in an attempt to escape, reversed his vehicle, killing at least three people on the spot,” the platform reported.
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Imran was claimed to have tried to settle things down when he was attacked by an irate mob.
He was claimed to have been stabbed as the Officer in Charge (OC) requested help.
According to the source, a heroic police officer rushed him to a nearby hospital, but the mob later surged in, dragged him out, and set fire to him.
His bereaved family has accused the NDLEA of failing to release a statement or contact them for condolences or compensation.
The source said, “It happened that on Friday some NDLEA officers went for an operation at Gadan-Gayan. They are covering it up. This is our agency. Do you know what they normally do? If accidents like this happen and an officer is in involved or an officer loses his life, instead of them to compensate the family, the NDLEA will try to cover it up so that they will not give the deceased family the compensation.
“Some officers were on patrol and suspect reversed and started driving away from the officers on patrol.
“So the officers took their own car and followed the car that was trying to get away from them. So in that process, the car they were chasing had an accident, and killed four people died.
“So when our officers reached there, one of them Aliyu Imran came down to try and calm the situation. Then people started to attack him. Even me, I’ve been involved in that kind of situation before.
“Normally, the moment you see the place is starting to get tense, you leave immediately.
“So when he came down to try to calm the situation down, the OC (Officer-in-Charge), the person that led the operation, started saying, okay. You guys should inbox. Like, let’s go. When you say inbox, it means you should enter car – let’s leave.
“So, in the process, they left Aliyu Imran in that place. So those guys, they stabbed him. After stabbing him, one police officer there took him on his bike to one hospital close to that place for treatment,” the source said.
He said the mob followed the policemen to the hospital, dragged out the NDLEA officer and burnt him alive.
He continued, “Do you know what’s heartbreaking? He just got married last December. His wife fainted as they were burying him yesterday (Saturday).
“Aliyu had stepped out of the vehicle to calm the situation, but the crowd turned hostile. I understand how these things escalate—I’ve been in similar mob situations during operations. Once tensions rise, the best thing to do is leave immediately.
“In the chaos, they left Aliyu Imran behind. The mob attacked him, stabbing him repeatedly.
“A police officer tried to save him by taking him to a nearby hospital on his bike. But the same mob stormed the hospital, dragged Aliyu out, and burned him alive while he was still clinging to life.
“The agency has done nothing for his family. They haven’t even addressed the incident officially. This isn’t the first time something like this has happened, and NDLEA has covered it up before.”
According to the source, this isn’t the first time a cop has died while on duty. When such occurrences occur, the news is sometimes suppressed, and the family receives only a poor settlement.
While acknowledging the terrible tragedy, NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi disputed that the agency disregards officials who die in the line of duty.
He also confirmed that the agency’s chairman had personally contacted the late officer’s family.
“As I speak with you, a delegation from the headquarters—led by the agency’s director of operations and general investigations—is already in Kaduna to meet with the family. Additionally, another commander had earlier been dispatched by the chairman. So, there’s no truth to the claim that the family has been abandoned.
“To further demonstrate how seriously the agency is taking this matter, the management has suspended the commander involved. Do you understand?”
“This is an ongoing investigation. The matter is being thoroughly looked into, and the agency remains in close contact with the family. We are working diligently to uncover the circumstances surrounding the incident,” he was quoted to have said.
