The life of a mobile police officer (MOPOL), Sergeant Rowland Tafida, has been cut short after he was hit by bullets from an anti-aircraft gun (AAG) operated by an army corporal following an altercation at Makara, Borno State.

The deceased, a father-of-two, was among the MOPOL Special Forces Team deployed to Gwoza last August, on counter-insurgency operations.

According to PRNigeria, Tafida would have completed his six months anti-terrorism operation on February 8, 2020.

It was also learnt that Rowland, a father of two young girls, had already planned to depart Borno today (Saturday) before he was murdered by the unidentified soldier.

An eyewitness who spoke to PRNigeria described the killing of Rowland as “unfortunate and disheartening”. He said the whole drama started with an altercation between the army corporal and another police personnel over a girlfriend.

The eyewitness, who pleaded not to be named, said:

“Some people intervened and settled the matter when the aggrieved army corporal asked a driver of an anti-aircraft gun Hilux belonging to his military base, to turn and directly face the Limankara Police Training Camp.

“Immediately after turning the vehicle, they opened fire and shot at the Camp’s facility. It was at that moment, Rowland Tafida, the late police sergeant, was killed by a stray bullet because he was not involved in the earlier altercation.

“The blast of the anti-aircraft vehicle totally disfigured his left leg thigh as he was returning to the camp after he went to charge his phone somewhere.

“The young MOPOL officer could have survived the terrible assault, but nobody could take him to a medical facility as he lied in his own pool of blood, bleeding profusely and bled to death.” The suspect has since been arrested.

Rowland’s mother has taken to her Facebook page to mourn her son and also called for justice for the deceased.

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She posted photos of Rowland and wrote:

“My dear son Rowland Tafida was brutally murdered at Makara in Maiduguri on Sunday by an Army personnel. Oh Lord, we need justice.

Enough of this continuous insensitive and senseless killings of innocent citizens.

My dear Row I am still in great shock over your senseless murder. Rest in peace my dear son. Love you always, Momma as you fondly used to call me.