Rights Activist Petitions CoAS Over Unlawful Arrest Of Market Chairman In Delta

Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai

Warri-based human rights activist, Oghenejabor Ikimi has petitioned Chief of Army Staff (CoAS) over alleged unlawful arrest and severe torture of the chairman of Udu Harbour market, Mr. Freedom Odiete by soldiers numbering about eight, led by one Captain Kingsley Ukwani, the head of Operations at the 3 battalion, Effurun Barracks.

Trouble started for Odiete following alleged disappearance of a robbery suspect simply identified as Oghenevwogaga Bejeru who was arrested and handed over to him by a group of persons led by two vigilante members in Ogode quarter of Ovwian Town, Udu Local Government Area of Delta State.

Odiete, after receiving the suspect, immediately called on phone the Patrol & Guard (P & G) attached to the Nigerian Police Station, Ovwian one Supol Sunny Okunbo who reportedly promised to send his men to pick up the said suspect.

It was learnt that Odiete who double as chairman of Ogode quarter of Ovwian Town, and also a Market Master of the Udu Harbour Market, was reportedly waiting for the arrival of police from Ovwian to pick the suspect when some group of armed men came and whisked the suspect away.

The incident happened on 10th day of February, 2018 at about 11:00pm.

The petitioner said that the said Bejeru was allegedly caught in the act of robbery in Ogode quarter while three of his gang members who were armed with a gun and other weapons escaped.

The petitioner said after the suspect was taken away in a bus filled with the armed men who posed as policemen and vigilante group members, Odiete quickly called to inform the said P & G and to confirm if the P & G was the person who sent them.

The said P & G however denied sending the armed men, saying that the suspect must have been taken away by other policemen or another vigilante group to one of the nearby police station.

Four day after the suspect was whisked away by the unknown gunmen, family relations of the suspect started harassing Odiete of the whereabouts of the suspect of which he repeatedly said he knows nothing about his disappearance.

Not satisfied, on the 21st day of February, 2018 at about 9:00am, the brother of the said suspect, one Kelvin led suspected gang members from Owhase Town, some of whom were armed and shooting sporadically into the air, threatened to kill the said Odiete and burn down the said Udu Harbour Market, Ovwian if the suspect is not produce.

They were later repelled in a shootout by Men of the Nigerian Police Station, Ovwian who were on patrol and successfully restore normalcy to the area, the petition said.

Furthermore, the petition which was made available to BigPen Online alleged that at about 11:30am same day, Odiete was intercepted at the popular Jigbale Market, Ovwian, Delta State by some soldiers numbering about eight, led by one Captain Kingsley Ukwani, the head of Operations at the 3 battalion, Effurun Barracks.

“They (soldiers) ordered Odiete on gun point to come down from his vehicle and enter the Hilux van conveying the soldiers. An order Our Client complied with and was thus whisked away to the Army Barracks, Effurun by the said rampaging soldiers”.

“It is our brief that at the said Barrack, Our Client was stripped naked by the said soldiers after which Our Clients legs and hands were handcuffed by the soldiers led by Captain Kingsley Ukwani who severely tortured Our Client by flogging him intermittently for about an hour, during which time the said soldiers ordered Our Client to tell them the whereabouts of the above suspect or else Our Client would be shot to death by them and that nothing would happen. Our Client informed the said soldiers that he knows nothing about the whereabouts of the suspect.

“It is also our brief that Our Client who is hypertensive in the process sustained multiple bruises, lacerations to the buttocks and his left upper limb swollen”.

The petitioner said that while the torturing by the soldiers was on, the suspects brother, Kelvin surfaced at the said Army Barracks and threatened to kill “Our Client in the presence of the said soldiers, if Our Client do not tell him the whereabouts of the suspect’.

After the said alleged torture Odiete was later  handed over to two military Policemen in the Army Barracks by Captain Kingsley Ukwani after which he was taken to the Area Command Office, Warri, Delta State where he was detained till the 23rd day of February, 2018 after making his statement.

In the course of investigation of the disappearance of the suspect, the said Men of the Area Command, Warri, arrested the girlfriend of the missing suspects who confessed to the police in the presence of some of the relations of the suspect that she was together with the suspect on the above 10th day of February, 2018 when three friends of the suspect armed with guns came to ask the suspect to follow them to a robbery operation.

The petition stated that following the confessional statement of the girlfriend of the suspect which was made in the presence of the suspect’s father, and sister, the said Odiete is “innocent of the accusation leveled against him” as investigations shows that “the armed men that drove in a bus to pick the suspect on the day of the incident before the arrival of the Police, were the suspects gang members”.

The human rights lawyer therefore call on the Chief of Army Staff to cause a thorough and unbiased investigation into the unlawful arrest, severe torture and stigmatization meted to the said Odiete by Captain Kingsley Ukwani who he said displayed unprofessional conduct which contravenes all military norms and ethics during the investigation of the matter.

“We therefore call on you to order an independent and impartial investigation into the above incident in a bid to court martialing any person found culpable so as to discourage indiscipline in the Nigerian Army”, the petition added.

All efforts to get comments from authorities at the 3 battalion, Effurun Barracks proved abortive as at time of publishing this report on Monday.

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