Nigerian Air Force, NAF under the leadership of the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Hasan Abubakar has kept mum since on Tuesday or refused to be accountable to the public over apparent act of aiding and abetting criminality after its soldiers were seen in now viral video to have laid ambush at the Air Force Military checkpoint in front of Air Force Base where the suspected criminal gang of soldiers have higher numerical strength at Jeddo in Okpe local government area of Delta State and attacked men of the Nigeria Police Force Quick Response Squad of the Delta State command, allegedly demanded the suspected criminal in the police vehicle  to be set free, and resistance from the police operatives led to an act of apparent criminal intimidation as the soldiers manhandled the police operatives, attempted to forcefully abduct the police operatives with their service riffles in their hands into the Air Force Base as seen in a video footage recorded by one of the eyewitnesses.

It was gathered that the incident occurred on Tuesday around 5pm at the Air Force checkpoint in Jeddo, Okpe Local Government Area of the state after police officers arrested one of the suspects found in possession of illicit drugs. 

According to a statement by the Delta State Police Command’s Public Relations Officer, Edafe Bright, the incident began when the Quick Response Squad operatives flagged down a Toyota Corolla with registration number; AKD-73-FL during a routine patrol. 

The police authority said the occupants of the vehicle fled upon sighting the police operatives, prompting a chase that led to the arrest of a 25-year-old Ibohama Precious. 

Adding, a search reportedly uncovered substances suspected to be marijuana, Canadian loud, and other hard drugs.

But while the police operatives were transporting the suspect to the police station, the officers were stopped at the Air Force checkpoint, where NAF personnel allegedly insisted that they release the suspect. When the police refused, an altercation ensued, leading to an attack on the officers.

The Delta State Commissioner of Police, CP Olufemi Abaniwonda, described the incident as “embarrassing” and assured that investigations were underway in collaboration with the Air Force authorities to prevent a recurrence.

Details of the Police Press Release as made available by Bright Edafe, read below in quote:

“The command is aware of the embarrassing situation between Policemen attached to the Quick Response Squad of the Command and some Airforce personnel attached to Airforce base Jeddo in Okpe Local government Area where the personnel of Nigeria Airforce without any provocation attacked the policemen who were performing their lawful duty.

On 11 February 2025, at about 17:00 hours, operatives of Quick Response Squad (QRS) while on crime prevention patrol flagged down a Toyota Corolla car with reg. no. AKD-73-FL, but the occupants of the vehicle on sighting the police took to their heels which prompted the policemen to go after them, and arrested one of the suspects identified as Ibohama Precious aged 25 years and recovered some weed suspected to be Indian hemp, Canadian loud and other hard drugs.

While the Policemen were on their way to the station alongside the suspect and exhibit, upon getting to the Airforce checkpoint at Jeddo, they were stopped by the Airforce personnel and were told that they wouldn’t be allowed to proceed until they released the suspects they were carrying which the policemen vehemently resisted and subsequently, the Airforce personnel attacked the Policemen without justification.

The Delta state Police command under the leadership of CP Olufemi Abaniwonda, the Nigeria Airforce, Navy, Army and other security agencies in the state have a cordial working relationship worthy of emulation and the incident is indeed an embarrassing one.

The Commissioner of Police Delta State CP Olufemi Abaniwonda and Airforce authorities are looking into the ugly incident and putting all modalities in place to forestall future occurrence of this embarrassing situation”, the police statement ends in quote.