In its continued search for Major-General Mohammed Idris Alkali, Retired around Lafendeg in Du district of Jos South Local Government Area of Plateau State, Nigerian Army has recovered the door of a white 18-seater Hummer Bus vehicle from a pond suspected to be where the vehicle of the missing General was dumped.

The rescue team, as constituted by the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai, is made up of officers and soldiers from 3 Division Quick Response Team, Operation Safe Haven, Nigeria Police Force, Vehicle Inspection Officers, Fire Service, as well as local divers.

The team, in its quest to unravel the circumstances surrounding the disappearance of the General, according the Colonel Kayode Ogunsanya of the 3rd Armoured Division, Nigerian Army, recovered “a white vehicle door with the glass pulled from the abandoned mining pit filled with water.”

Also, Operation Safe Haven Media and Information Officer, Major Adam Umar, said the pond was yet to be drained to a level where divers could go in for search, saying, “what we are doing is draining water from one pond into another because there are two ponds opposite each other with a major road between them, so we are draining the water from pond A which, based on intelligence is suspected to be the dumping ground, into pond B.”

Giving further details into the operation, a statement by the Nigerian Army headquarters posted online had stated that “due to the terrain in the general areas of Paddock in Lafendeg Du Plateau State, the task force consulted a Chinese construction company working in that area who promised to assist in drilling out water from the pond where it was suspected that the vehicle belonging to the senior officer was pushed into.

However, the Chinese company was forced to withdraw their services due to continuous threats and protest by women in the community clad in black dresses.”

The Army however stated that despite the challenges, the Task Force has continued with its search and rescue operation, adding that, “this discovery indicates that there could be other vehicles in the same pond hence the continued protest by the community.

Suffice to add that the Nigerian Army would not relent in its search and rescue operation until the retired General is found.”

General Alkali, who retired from service as the Chief of Administration at the Nigeria Army Headquarters, was said to have gone missing soon after retirement and was travelling from Abuja to Bauchi in a black Toyota Corola vehicle with registration number, MUN 670 AA on the 3rd of September.