Army recovers body of missing General says perpetrators won’t go unpunished

The Nigerian Army has said those involved in the death of the missing Major General Idris Alkali (rtd) will not go unpunished no matter how connected they are.

The Army spoke through the Garrison Commander, 3 Division Nigerian Army, Brigadier General Umar Mohammed, who is the officer leading the operation on the missing General.

Mohammed said: “Whoever is involved in this heinous crime will not go unpunished no matter how connected he is. Those who have not submitted themselves to the police we are on their trail.

“We came here this morning with the leading of one of the suspects who submitted himself to the Nigeria Police after being declared wanted. We drained the water and we have been able to salvage the remains of the missing retired Army officer.

“The hierarchy of the Nigerian Army has issued an order that the retired missing Army General must be found dead or live and all those who participated in the heinous crime be brought to book”.

Journalists were however allowed to view the body bag in which the remains of the Army officer was wrapped and after a military parade was conducted for the late General before his lifeless body was put into an ambulance.

The remains of the missing General was found in an abandoned well in Gushwet village, Shen district of Jos South Local Government Area of Plateau State.

The Daily Times recalls that the Army had earlier declared him missing on September 3.

Alkali went missing on his way to Bauchi after leaving Abuja in the morning of September 3, 2018.

Consequently, the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Maj.-Gen. Tukur Buratai, set up a search team for the missing general.

The army said that after a thorough search and investigation, they narrowed their search to a mining pond in Dura-Du in Jos South Local Government Area of Plateau State.

After two weeks of draining water from pond, the car of the missing general and two other cars were recovered from the pond.

Brig. Gen. Umar Mohammed also disclosed said that members of the search were led to the location by one of those earlier arrested in connection with crime.

He said that the operation was jointly carried out by men of the Nigeria Police and the Fire Service.

Umar said that with the recovery of the body, they were left with one task to ensure that those declared wanted in connection with the crime were brought to book.

“The COAS gave us three terms of reference, to get the missing senior officer dead or alive, to recover his car and to ensure that those who committed the crime were punished.

“We have today fulfilled the second condition, we will not rest until we meet the third.

“We want to assure those that are on the run to know that we are on their trail and we must get them,” he vowed.