Shootout Between Police and Immigration Officials Sparks Panic in Maiduguri
In an unexpected turn of events, police and immigration officials in Maiduguri, Borno state, engaged in a wild shootout on Friday, November 17. The confrontation involved a firing of different caliber of firearms incited fear among local residents.
The clash took place at a police outpost within a housing estate alongside the Maiduguri-Kano highway. The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has been occupying this outpost since 2014, due to a previous abandonment following repeated attacks on security personnel.
Recently, the Borno State Commissioner of Police, Muhammed Yusuf, ordered divisional police officers to reclaim all abandoned police outposts as part of an initiative to enhance the city’s security.
A police officer, speaking to counterinsurgency expert Zagazola Makama, revealed that the Bulunkutu Division police officers had intended to reclaim the outpost from the immigration officials. However, their attempt led to a chaotic situation when the NIS personnel denied them access.
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The immigration officials were surprised by the sudden morning invasion without any prior notice. As a result, they decided not to leave the outpost, even though it was marked with the Nigeria police insignia.
The situation escalated when both parties began firing their rifles into the air, causing panic among the residents of the 777 housing estate. Many residents of the Estate who mistaking the confrontation for a Boko Haram attack, fled for their lives.
The situation was eventually deescalated by nearby Nigerian Army troops from the 33 Artillery, who intervened and calmed both the police and NIS officials.
Additionally, a mediation team from the Crack Division, led by CSP Mohammed Ibrahim, was dispatched by the Commissioner of Police to address the disagreement between the two parties.
