ABU GUNNED DOWN
Less than 24 hours after his arrest, Saad Samad Kiram, 36, tried to escape and was shot in Bohol, police said. He was being escorted to the Bohol District Jail, authorities said, when he tried to grab an officer’s firearm.
Just 21 hours after he was captured in Barangay Tan-awan, Tubigon, Bohol, Saad Samad Kiram, alias Saad, was killed after he allegedly tried to escape while in transit to the Bohol District Jail yesterday dawn.
The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) 7 will investigate Kiram's death, saying he should have been safe since he was in the hands of authorities.
Police Regional Office (PRO) 7 Director Noli Taliño said Kiram had asked his guards to uncuff him so he could relieve himself.
Dead on arrival
"During interrogation, he relieved himself about three times. And he needed to be transferred as there was no proper jail in the BPPO (Bohol Provincial Police Office)," Taliño said.
When asked why Kiram was transported in the wee hours of the morning, Taliño said they finished interrogating Kimar around 2 a.m.
In a press release, the PRO 7 said Kiram begged to be allowed to go to the bathroom after he complained of stomach pains and diarrhea.
But Kiram allegedly ran, but the guards caught up with him in a grassy lot in Barangay Cabawan, Tagbilaran City.
The local police in the town of Cortes was alerted about his escape and immediately set up a checkpoint.
The area where Kiram was killed is around 300 meters from the Bohol District Jail, which is in Barangay New Lourdes, Cortes.
Kiram was shot around 4:30 a.m. He was rushed to the nearest hospital but he was declared dead on arrival.
Taliño said Kiram tried to grab the firearm of one of his guards, which prompted others to shoot him.
Fact-finding
"He took advantage of the darkness and tried to snatch the gun from one of our men," Taliño said.
CHR 7 Director Arvin Odron said that he will ask his investigator to conduct a fact-finding investigation on the circumstances surrounding Kiram's death.
"We already sent a three-man team to Bohol. We need to know what happened if the situation really called for them to use their firearms against Saad," Odron said.
Kiram was shot in the forehead, in the chest and in the leg.
Kiram had with him a .45 pistol and a hand grenade, which were confiscated when he was booked.
Taliño said they will welcome the CHR 7's investigation.
"His (Kiram) death was a result of his aggressive assault to a person in authority," the press release said.
The statement said the incident was "unfortunate as the PNP quests for obtaining information that may lead for the government to further understand the behavior and plans of the lawless group."
BPPO Director Felipe Natividad said that they will also look into the incident.
Kiram was buried in the Tiptip Public Cemetery in Tagbilaran at 3 p.m. yesterday.
Authorities are still looking for Abu Sayyaf members Asis and Ubayda.
We already sent a threeman team to Bohol. We need to know what happened, if the situation really called for them to use their firearms against Saad. CHR 7 DIRECTOR ARVIN ODRON