Missing General: Army pulls out 13 vehicles, 19 human bodies, 6 bikes, including 18 Seater commercial bus from Jos pond
The Nigeria Army has pulled out no fewer than 13 vehicles, six motorcycles and 19 human bodies from the mining pond in Dura Du, Jos, Plateau State, where missing Gen. Idris Alkali (rtd)’s car was found last Saturday.
The search operation, being jointly carried out by Operation Safe Haven and 3 Division Nigerian Army, Rukuba, made the startling recoveries with the aid of local divers and hauling equipment.
The exercise is still ongoing as the military authorities say they have instructions to not to stop the search till they find the missing General or his body.
A source in the Plateau State Government House that confirmed the figures to Global Patriot Newspapers, GPNews, Wednesday, said the evacuation of the pond is being done publicly.
At the start of the search there had been some protests by members of the community, who said the pond was their source of drinking water and was revered by community members.
It would be recalled that Alkali, the immediate past Chief of Administration, Army Headquarters, Abuja, was declared missing on Sept. 3.
He was said to have gone missing on his way to Bauchi after leaving Abuja in the morning. It is believed that he ran into youths protesting killings in the community by armed herdsmen.
Consequently, the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Maj.-Gen. Tukur Buratai, set up an operation to search for him.
The army said that after a thorough search and investigation, they stumbled on some intelligence that made it necessary to search the water body.
Maj.-Gen. Augustine Agundu, Commander of Operation Safe Haven, told a news conference that a Toyoto Hiace Bus with registration number Plateau, RYM 307 XA, was pulled out of the pond, adding that there were more mysteries in the water.
He said that the army under the directive of Buratai, was determined to uncover the mysteries.
“It is a sad moment for us for any right thinking Nigerian to think that crime is being committed almost on daily basis.
“It took the efforts of the joint operation to make the startling discoveries,” he said, stressing that there were probabilities that there were other things under the water.
Also speaking, Maj.-Gen. Benson Akinruluyo, General Officer Commanding (GOC) 3 Division, Nigeria Army, Rukuba, said that the army experienced technical challenges in the operation.
Akinruluyo allayed fears of the surrounding communities that they would be dealt with after the discoveries.
“There is no need for them to fear, however, we have recovered the vehicle (of the missing General) we still need to find him or his body.
“We are asked to find him dead or alive.
“The community can tell us where they kept him or his body; we will not stop until we find him or his body,” Akinruluyo stressed.
A Nigerian-based civil society group, Probitas, had recommended the use of dead sea divers and underwater cameras as part of alternatives to draining the community’s pond.
