WARRI CRISIS: 30 SUSPECTS RELEASED

Warri

About 30 of the 79 suspects arrested in connection with Tuesday's early
morning shoot-out in Warri were released yesterday, just as the National
Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) was believed to have been involved in
the events that lead to the bloody encounter.

The release of the detainees came on the heels of hours of interrogation
conducted by men of the Joint Military Task Force to ascertain the level of
involvement of each suspect in the incident in which a soldier and several
civilians lost their lives.

Public Relations Officer of the task force, Major S.A. Hammed, broke the
news of the release in a phone chat with THISDAY and gave assurance that
the military will not detain any suspect a day longer than necessary
provided such a suspect was able to prove his innocence in the incidence.

Brig. Gen. Elias Zamani commander of the task force, had on Tuesday told
newsmen that the suspects would face intense interrogation and those found
wanting would be handed over to the police for further action.

Meanwhile fresh facts emerged yesterday on principal actors and the real
cause of the shoot out. Sources revealed that the dawn shoot out was
sparked off by a surprise raid on Awor by men of the National Drug Law
Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) who had been keeping a close surveillance on the
area following reports that trade in narcotics was on the increase in the area.