The Plateau State Police Command has revealed that one of the suspects killed by the military task force known as Operation Safe Haven (OPSH) in Mangu Local Government Area (LGA) was a dismissed police officer. This information was provided in a press release issued by the State Police Command through its Public Relations Officer, DSP Alfred Alabo.
According to the statement, the deceased individual was a member of the Special Constabulary, a scheme implemented by the police administration between 2018 and 2019 with the support of state governments. The scheme aimed to enhance community policing by recruiting able-bodied men and women of credible character who underwent training and were stationed at police stations for two hours daily.
The individual in question, named Katzing Zwalnan Zingfa, was from Langtang North LGA and belonged to the Tarok tribe. After completing his training in November 2020, he was posted to Langtang North Area Command and later to Langtang North Division to assist the police in crime prevention and intelligence gathering.
However, Zingfa absconded from duty for over a year, leading to his designation as a deserter and subsequent dismissal from the force. The police had been searching for him, and on July 12, 2023, Operation Safe Haven operatives successfully neutralized three bandits in Mangu LGA, including Zingfa.
The Plateau State Commissioner of Police, Bartholomew Onyeka, clarified that Zingfa’s actions did not represent the entire Nigeria Police Force. He emphasized that the individual had been dismissed and declared a deserter, and efforts to track him down and retrieve police equipment had been unsuccessful until his encounter with Operation Safe Haven.
The police command sought to distance itself from Zingfa’s activities, reiterating that he was no longer a member of the force at the time of his actions. The statement aimed to clarify the circumstances surrounding Zingfa’s involvement and dispel any misconceptions about his status as a serving police officer.