Again, Lagbaja’s soldiers go on the rampage, brutalise policeman

A public interest and human rights lawyer, Inibehe Effiong, has petitioned the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Taoreed Lagbaja, requesting him to fish out and punish a group of Army personnel whom he claimed assaulted a police officer, ASP Edet Inyang.

Effiong made this known in a statement on his X handle, on Thursday night.

According to him, the “brutal torture” of  Inyang by an unidentified group of Army personnel occurred on December 9, 2023, at a store close to the Nigerian Army’s 63 Brigade in Asaba, Delta State, where the policeman had gone to purchase some items for his personal use.

PUNCH reports that President Bola Tinubu recently warned men of the Nigerian Army to desist from carrying out retaliatory assaults on the police or any civilian population over any provocation.

According to a former Director, Army Public Relations, Brig. Gen. Sani Usman, in an exclusive interview with The PUNCH in 2017, while speaking on abuse of human rights by soldiers, noted that the Army has zero tolerance for human rights abuses by any personnel or group of personnel, as the case may be.

He said, “We have told you times without number that the Army has zero tolerance for human rights abuses by any of our personnel or group of personnel, as the case may be.”

Recounting Inyang’s experience in a statement titled “How Nigerian Army Personnel Tortured and Brutalised Serving Police Officer ASP Edet Inwang Till He Lost Consciousness Over Alleged Wrong Parking”, accompanied by video and photo evidence, Effiong requested the Chief of Army Staff to ensure that the culprits are identified and made to face the full wrath of the law.

The statement reads, “These are graphic videos and pictures of a serving Assistant Superintendent of Police posted to the Delta State Police Command, ASP Edet Inyang. The attack happened on the 9th of December 2023. He parked his vehicle at a store close to the Nigerian Army’s 63 Brigade in Asaba to purchase some items.

“Upon parking, he heard the voice of a man on mufti whom he would later identify as one Lance Corporal Onyibuchi of the Intelligence Department attached to the 63 Brigade, Asaba talking from a far distance and speaking in tones which he could not comprehend. While the ranting was going on, a uniformed soldier approached him and requested him to re-park his vehicle.

“He immediately made attempts to comply with the instruction. While he was trying to re-park, the said Lance Corporal approached him and dragged him backwards and asked him why he refused to obey his instructions. Edet tried to explain that he did not hear him properly because he was inaudible given the distance between them. The next thing was for the said Lance Corporal to start pounding on and brutalising ASP Edet along with not less than 10 other soldiers.

“They brutalised him till he lost consciousness and they had to take him to the military hospital for medical care. It was while in the hospital that one of the officers whom he had worked with in a Joint Taskforce recognised him. The soldiers who tortured him to almost the point of death, upon being queried by their superior, said they did not know that he was a police officer. What a ridiculous statement!

“Should any human being be treated so horribly over alleged wrong parking? Assuming without conceding that he did not park properly, or that he parked at a wrong place, should the response be an attempt on his life? Is traffic offence now within the jurisdiction of the Nigerian Army?”

The statement added that the actions of the soldiers were a violation of the fundamental human rights of ASP Inyang, whom he noted is still receiving medical attention at the hospital.

Effiong craved Lagbaja’s indulgence to as a matter of urgency look into the matter and ensure that Inyang gets justice for the brutality meted out on him by the soldiers.

“This is a grave violation of fundamental rights. ASP Edet Inyang is still receiving treatment. His left ear is barely functioning. They used an iron rod to hit his head. They also used the butt of a gun to assault him till he bled.

“I have written to the Chief of Army Staff to demand that the offending soldiers be duly punished and adequate compensation paid to ASP Edet. We cannot continue to live in a country where the rights of citizens are abused brazenly without consequences. The @HQNigerianArmy  should address this matter urgently,” he concluded.