‘How I was abducted, dehumanised for four days by Nigerian Army’

A lawyer engaged to prepare land documents for an officer of the Nigerian Army has alleged that personnel of the force abducted and dehumanised him for four days. Barrister Bilyaminu Na’amadu Zigau, in a petition by his counsel, Hauwa Sule Ibrahim, Esq is seeking the intervention of the Chief of Army Staff and to apply […]

A lawyer engaged to prepare land documents for an officer of the Nigerian Army has alleged that personnel of the force abducted and dehumanised him for four days.

Barrister Bilyaminu Na’amadu Zigau, in a petition by his counsel, Hauwa Sule Ibrahim, Esq is seeking the intervention of the Chief of Army Staff and to apply the service laws to ensure justice was served in the matter.

Narrating the background, Zigau said he was this year engaged by Master Warrant Officer Chukwuemeka Okorie of the Finance Department at the Army Headquarters to perfect a land title document with the Nasarawa Geographic Information Service (NAGIS) with a payment of N500,000 for the said services.

The lawyer said due to administrative bureaucracy that is not his fault, the process of perfection of the said documents was delayed and he kept updating the soldier.

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Ibrahim said after a meeting with the Commanding Officer of the Lungi Barracks, Abuja, on Friday, December 9, Zigau was accosted, assaulted, abducted and forcefully taken to Military Police Office at Mambila Barracks, Abuja on the purported offence of swindling Mr. Okorie’s monies.

“At the Mambila Barracks, our client was handcuffed, shackled, brutally beaten, tortured, humiliated, poured cold water upon and locked up in guard room with water poured on the floor,” she said.

“Consequently, Lt. Col Uwani, LT Malgwi, CSM Abu, WO Alfa, Sgt Musa and Lance Corporal Frank humiliated, detained and dehumanized our client for four days, kept his hands handcuffed and his feet in shackled as though he was a dangerous criminal and denied him access to food, medication, his family and friends.”

She narrated that the family could not reach him and tracked his telephone line, reported to the various police stations in the FCT and visited all the hospitals before he returned from the FCT Command of the Nigerian Police, where he was eventually dumped.

Efforts to reach the spokesman of the Nigerian Army for comments was unsuccesful.