ADELANI ASHAMU, Abuja

ASP Umaru, who testified before the panel, said, Danjuma also supervised the killings and actually stayed back at the stations to ensure that all the traders were dead even after run away Abdulsalami Othman had ordered that a male member of the group who survived the shooting be killed.

The witness further stunned the panel with testimony that fleeing Divisional Police Office, Abdulsalami Othman, observed the strangulation of the girl, Miss Augustina Arebu.

He said that contrary to denials by Mr. Nicholas Zakaria, leader of the station’s Ambush Squad that he (Zakaria) was not aware of what happened to the victims, the DPO actually handed over the surviving victims to Mr Zakaria "and ordered him to eliminate them."

His testimony put paid to denials by Danjuma, Zakaria and other suspects who had said they did not know what happened to the victims, as Umaru said he was physically present when the female victim was killed.

Although he denied participating in the killing, Umaru condemned the incident, adding that the DCP remained at the station until all the victims had died.

Yesterday’s sitting brought to an end public hearings by the panel as its chairman, Justice Olasunbo Goodluck explained that further hearing continue behind closed doors.

His words. "I was sleeping when DPO Othman came in and woke me up and said there is a case of robbery suspects. I went out and I saw DCP Danjuma Ibrahim standing outside. I saw four corpses on the ground.

"He called PC Assamoa and said he should search the Peaugeot 406. Assanmoa went to the front seat, passenger side and recovered two locally made pistols with two cartridges and the DPO said the other two people one female and one male should be eliminated. Then I asked if the authrities were aware and he (Othman) said yes.

"When DCP heard that one of them escaped, he got annoyed, and went to the lady in the vehicle where she was lying down, held her head and twisted it in the presence of the DPO. I told my superior officers at the force headquarters how this lady was killed," he added.