Army says police failed to cooperate during Plateau gunfire response

The Joint Task Force, Operation Enduring Peace, has spoken about a viral video showing its soldiers and police officers confronting each other in Bassa Local Government Area of Plateau State.

In a statement on Monday, the task force said its troops were responding to a distress call when the encounter happened. The statement was signed by its Media Information Officer, Captain Chinonso Oteh.

According to the task force, on October 20, troops of Sector 3 received reports of sporadic gunfire in Mai Farin Moto, Maraban Dere and nearby communities. The reports also mentioned the killing of a resident, Adamu Suleiman.

Soldiers were sent to assess the security situation, establish what happened, stop the violence from spreading and protect lives and property, the statement said.

What the task force says happened

The task force said that when the troops arrived, they tried to engage the police officers operating in the area so both sides could coordinate a response.

It said the interaction was marked by "a lack of cooperation from some personnel", despite efforts to calm tensions and keep discipline. The statement did not name the officers involved or say how many there were.

The task force insisted the deployment was prompted by an operational distress call and was done in the interest of public safety. It said any other account of the encounter should be weighed against the circumstances that led to the deployment.

It added that the matter is being handled through military command and inter-agency channels to establish the facts, keep operations coordinated and prevent a repeat.

The task force also asked residents and journalists to verify information before sharing it, warning that unverified accounts could weaken public confidence and strain relations between security agencies.

It restated its commitment to professionalism and impartiality, and assured Plateau residents of continued efforts to keep law and order across its area of operations.

Why it matters

Plateau State has seen repeated outbreaks of violence in recent years, and residents often depend on joint security operations for safety. When soldiers and police disagree at the scene of an incident, it can slow down response and leave communities exposed.

The task force did not say whether anyone has been arrested or whether the killing of Adamu Suleiman is being investigated. It also did not give details of the viral video.

For now, the facts of the October 20 incident rest on the task force's account, and the police have not responded publicly in the statements reviewed.