Cases of how the military violate the rights of ordinary citizens on a daily basis in the country came to the fore on Tuesday as one Mr. Salihu Mojahid told the pathetic story of how his brother was allegedly beaten to death by a soldier.
He said his brother, Abubakar Alhaji, was beaten to death near Myoung Barracks, Morocco Road, Yaba by one Sgt. Taiwo Owoeye.
The said incident took place on February 27, 2017 in Lagos and the deceased was a commercial motorcyclist.
Mojahid narrated the incidence when he appeared before the Presidential Panel investigating alleged human rights abuses by the Armed Forces.
The 8-man panel sitting at the Ikeja High Court, Lagos is headed by Justice Biobel Goodwill, of the Court of Appeal.
Mohjahid narrated: “On February 27, my brother called Abubakar Alhaji, a commercial motorcyclist, took a passenger to Morocco Roundabout beside Myoung Barracks, Yaba, Lagos.
“He parked at the back of a vehicle and unknown to him someone was in the vehicle, the person in the vehicle reversed and bystanders shouted that a commercial motorcyclist is behind him.
“My brother knocked on the car to alert the owner that he parked behind him, the owner of the car came out and he was Sgt. Taiwo Owoeye.
“Owoeye who was in full military uniform, slapped my brother twice and after he fell down, and he started kicking my brother several times in his stomach while he was on the ground.
“Bystanders tried apologising to him but he refused to listen to them till my brother fell unconscious.
“When my brother became unconscious, he wanted to leave and the bystanders said ‘do you not see the state of the person you have beaten up?
“Sgt. Owoeye told them ‘let him die, even if he dies, nothing will happen.’
“Fellow commercial motorcyclists and military men took him to a hospital in the barracks , he was vomiting blood till the next day.
“My brother died on February 28 and the Commandant ordered the arrest of Sergeant Owoeye.”
Mojahid claimed that his brother’s corpse was not released to the family until May 25which was four months after the incident.
“Anytime we asked the military for his corpse, they said that they needed to do an autopsy, till now we have not received an autopsy result.”
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Obviously moved by the incidence, the Nigerian Army through their counsel, Mr. Bola Oyebanji apologised to the family of Mr. Abubakar Alhaji, the commercial motorcyclist, beaten to death.
Oyebanji said, “The Nigerian Army has detained Sgt. Owoeye for murder, we find the matter reprehensible and condemnable.
“However, this is a single act which showed that the sergeant was on his own.
“We apologise and sympathise with the family of the deceased.”
Justice Goodwill also giving his condolences, told brother of the deceased “apologies to you and your family for the death of your brother.”
After the apology, Goodwill told Mr. Lucas Koyejo, a counsel from the National Human Rights Commission to follow up with the military trial of Owoeye to ensure that justice was done and to liaise with the victim’s family.
Other similar cases of how soldiers violated ordinary citizens were heard.
Meanwhile, the panel has called on Lagos based lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana (SAN) and all lawyers representing suspected Boko Haram members detained in the South-West to come forward to present their case before the panel.
“Mr. Femi Falana and other counsels should come forward with their allegations of human rights abuses.
“It is imperative that people in South-West with allegations against the armed forces should appear before the panel,” Goodwill said.
The judge also invited interested parties to join members of the panel to a one-day fact finding mission on October 25 to the Kirikiri Maximum Prisons, Lagos, where alleged Boko-Haram suspects are incarcerated.
It would be recalled that Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo had on August 11 inaugurated the presidential investigation panels to review compliance of the armed forces with human rights obligations and rules of engagement in conflict and insurgency cases.
The panels are to sit in the six geo-political zones and the Federal Capital Territory fromSeptember 11 to November 3.
