THE Nigerian Army says it has discovered a shallow grave where a missing retired Major General, Idris Alkali, was buried by his assailants.
Alkali was the immediate past Chief of Administration (Army)who was attacked and killed in Jos while on his way to Bauchi on September 2.
The General Officer Commanding 3 Division, Benson Akinroluyo, a Major General who disclosed this on Friday at a press briefing in Plateau State, explained that the late General was killed and buried in a shallow grave in an area popularly known as, “No man’s land” in a community on the outskirt of Jos metropolis.
This is the first time that the Nigerian Army would come close to a clue about his whereabouts after Alkali’s car was found in a pond on September 28.
“You would recall that on September 2, 2018, at about 8:00pm, unknown gunmen attacked a shopping complex located at Lafande Community on the outskirt of Jos metropolis in Dura-Du District of Jos South Local Government Area of Plateau State,” Major General Akinroluyo told reporters.
“As a result of the attack, 11 people were killed while others sustained various degrees of injuries. The attack triggered protest by the people of the area on the morning of September 3, 2018.”
During the protest, General Officer Commanding said scores of youths blocked the Eastern Bypass with stones and other dangerous objects.
He disclosed that the late general who recently disengaged from the Nigerian Army was travelling alone in his black Toyota Corolla car from Abuja to Bauchi via Jos the same day.
Akinroluyo quoted a source that said the Akali’s car was stopped and he introduced himself as a general to the hoodlums who had barricaded the road that he was just passing through to Bauchi.
He said the senior officer was thereafter assaulted and killed, after which his money, phones, and valuables were “shared by those who killed him”.
He revealed further that the body of the late military officer was moved to somewhere else while his car was driven and pushed into an abandoned mining pit filled with water.
“The irate youths who followed his car to the abandoned mining pit filled with water on many tri-cycles popularly known as “Keke NAPEP” jubilated for reason best known to them or for mission accomplished.
“He was later buried in a shallow grave in an area popularly known as, “No man’s land” within the community,” Akinroluyo said.
While explaining why the body of the late general was not found in the shallow grave, the GOC said his body was relocated from the shallow grave after his car was recovered from the mining pond.
“On 29 September 2018, when the general’s black Toyota Corolla car was recovered from the abandoned mining pit, those involved and those not involved in the killing of the senior officer held a meeting to relocate his corpse away from the community,” he said.
He said, due to “inherent danger it would attract to the community,” a 10 man team was constituted to relocate his corpse earlier buried in a shallow grave within the community to elsewhere.
“A specialist in the preservation of corpse was contracted. The specialist assisted in exhuming his corpse from the shallow grave to elsewhere. Only a few trusted members of the community knew where his corpse was relocated to.”
Akinroluyo said the specialist is currently in the military custody, adding that there was evidence that those who were involved in the killing of the senior officer are being supported and backed by community leaders within the Dura-Du District.
He disclosed that eight people have already been declared wanted in relation to their role in the attack and killing of the late general.
