The officer allegedly ordered soldiers to attack undercover Intelligence Response Team (IRT) operatives who went to Ibi, Taraba State, to arrest the suspect.
The army claimed that the battalion mistook the operatives for kidnappers before opening fire on them, killing three policemen, two civilians and leaving five persons injured.
The Nation gathered that Bala claimed to have paid huge amounts into the army captain’s bank account three weeks ago.
Besides the Captain, the suspect was said to have some other officers on his payroll.
It was gathered that the suspected kidnapper also paid his way through checkpoints.
It was learnt that Bala and his gang avoided arrest by giving N20,000 to security agents each time they passed a checkpoint.
A highly placed source said two of Balarabe’s boys, ”Babaruns” and ”Zubairu”, called him on August 6 to tell him about Bala’s arrest.
The source said Balarabe, acting on the tipoff, directed his soldiers to “rescue” Wadume.
At the Force Headquarters on Tuesday, the suspect, who was interrogated, was said to have confessed to how Balarabe freed him.
He was said to have told detectives that the soldiers took him to the barracks, from where the Captain allegedly took him to his house, where a welder was invited to cut off the hand and leg chains.
The suspect, alleged to have run three kidnap syndicates in Taraba and Nasarawa states, had a network of major firearms suppliers, it was learnt.
The Police have recovered 13 vehicles and identified several choice properties in Taraba and Nasarawa allegedly bought through proceeds of crime.
The Police also learnt that Wadume owned over 400 cows reared by his boys, who fled with them on learning that their boss had been arrested.
Source: The Nation
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