There have been reports of human rights abuses by security agencies. This has led to Nigeria receiving low ratings in rights enforcement and respect. What steps are security agencies taking to ensure their men stop such abuses? ADEBISI ONANUGA asks
A very important feature of every democratic country is the respect for fundamental human rights, particularly by its security agencies. Freedom is another major feature of a democratic state, yet, abuses and rights violation remain a common feature in Nigeria, leading to the country being poorly rated by international organisations.
So worrisome was the matter that Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, on August 11, 2017, inaugurated a Presidential Panel under the chairmanship of Justice Biobele Georgewill. The panel was mandated to: “investigate alleged crimes against humanity by the military in tackling local armed conflicts; review extant rules of engagement applicable to the armed forces of Nigera and the extent of compliance thereto; investigate alleged acts of violation of international humanitarian and human rights laws; and investigate matters of conduct and discipline in the armed forces in local conflicts and insurgencies and recommend means of preventing violations of international humanitarian and human rights law in conflict situations” among others.
In spite of the work done by the panel, and recommendations for redress, particularly to avert future re-occurrence, abuses and rights violation, torture, unlawful detention and other ill-treatment by security agencies have continued.
Human rights organisation Amnesty International (AI), in its 2017/2018 report released February 22, rated the country low on issues of abuse and rights violation.
AI accused Nigerian security forces of carrying out widespread abuses such as extra-judicial killings, arbitrary arrests, mass detention in sub-human facilities, attacks on the media and journalists, violent crackdown on peaceful protesters, and forced evictions, among others.
Abuses and rights violation
Last Tuesday, in Mushin area of Lagos, the lens of a dutiful cameraman captured a soldier wearing military camouflage, using a horse whip on a civilian. No doubt, the soldier must have beaten his victim to stupor.
One of the pictures showed the soldier, standing over his victim with the horse whip and a gun. While the victim was on his knees, with fears on his face,he looked up at the soldier tormenting him, without knowing what to expect next.
The second picture showed the victim, with his ears pulled and doing ‘frog jump’, no doubt serving a form of punishment as ordered by the soldier, who stood guard over his victim and still holding to his horsewhip and gun.
Of course, in that situation, no civilian dare approach the soldier to enquire why the man should be subjected to such abuse.
The above description is a reminiscence of abuses and rights violation of civilians in the hands of officers of the security agencies daily, contrary to constitutional provisions which guarantee their rights from abuse and to freedom. Although a lot of efforts is being put into changing the image of the Nigerian Army, the incident above marks a reminder that some officers of the Nigerian Army still engage in abuse and disrespect the laws of the land with impunity.
Lawyers abused by police
On February 21, 2018 at about 12 noon, a lawyer, Thompson Oladotun, was assaulted by officers of the Nigeria Police Force for refusing to vacate his seat in a public bus for one of them who insisted on seating he was occupying.
According to him, he was going to Lekki when the incident happened. He entered a commercial bus (danfo) which plies the Lekki/Obalende route.
Because he was feeling dizzy becauce of fever attack, he decided to take a seat by the window side to have access to fresh air at the very back seat.
He stated: “About 15 minutes later, a young man in his late twenties or early 30s dressed in green mobile police uniform, who goes by the name MUHAMMAD MA approached me, and ordered me to vacate my seat for him which I refused. I politely told him that he could take a seat in the next row, as there were seats that would conveniently take three other people.
“He responded by asking me why I challenged him and insisted that he wanted where I was seated. Before I could say anything further, he slapped me. It was at this point an altercation started.
“He got down from the bus and I got down too, and I asked him what gave him the right to slap me over a seat. The other passengers started reprimanding him, and told him to take another seat. I demanded an apology from him. A man dressed in a millitary camouflage appeared from nowhere, who I believewas one of his cronies; came and instead of reprimanding this officer for his conduct, joined him in raining verbal assaults on me.
“Instead of the policeman to be reasonable, he went ahead to slap me continually. He did that over 10 times until I fell on the floor. He kicked me severally that I became confused and frustrated. As he entered the bus,it started moving leaving me behind. I remembered I still had my laptop at the back seat.
“I managed to catch up with the bus to retrieve my laptop and bag. He told the bus not to stop but I managed to fetch my bag from the back seat. It was at this point that I was trying to sit that he pushed me off the bus, and I fell of the road again, this time the bus crushed my left lower leg and broke it. The police and the bus driver left me to my fate and took off.
“I was taken home by sympathetic motorcyclists and ‘agbero’, who witnessed this police brutality… I was thereafter taken to National Orthopaedic Hospital in Igbobi for treatment.”
From the information gathered later by Oladotun, the police man is said to be a staff of the Nigeria Police Force at Obalende Zone 2 headquarters in Lagos. Oladotun is therefore demanding for justice for the violation of his right by men of the Nigeria Police.
Another lawyer, Adeyemi Abijo, narrated his ordeal in the hands of the police. The incident happened at about 10.40 a.m. on January 30, 2018 at Bolade, Oshodi, Lagos. Abijo said he was in a vehicle in company of his colleague in the Chambers, including Babatunde Lana, who was driving the car and heading to Area D, Police Command in Mushin for a client’s matter.
On getting to Oshodi, after Bolade Bus stop, they noticed a man dropping his waste on the road openly from his car and driving on.
He said they were surprised that despite series of campaign against such habit, someone could still engage in such practice.Therefore, he asked his colleague to move close to the car to tell the man that what he did was wrong and that he should have left the waste in his vehicle instead of throwing it out of the car.They cautioned the man and he immediately apologised and it was obvious he was embarrassed at his own action.
Just as they moved on, the man look towards their car and waved back and he thought that he was sorry once again for his action. But unknown to him, that marked the beginning of his ordeal.
“Immediately, I noticed that a Toyota Hilux vehicle belonging to the Task Force approached the man’s vehicle from the passenger side and beckoned unto him. Thereafter, Toyota Hilux driver swiftly drove ahead of him and blocked his vehicle from moving ahead. This attracted our attention and as I told my colleague to park very well so I could let them know that I was the one conversing with the man and the reason for this, only for me to find that the head of the Task force men in the Toyota Hilux named Aliyu Bala was already attacking the man with a big thick whilst the man was still behind the steering.
“I walked towards them but before I got close enough, Aliyu Bala, a Superintendent of Police, I later learnt he is, had moved to the driver’s side of the vehicle and thrown a heavy punch at the jaw of the driver. The driver also pushed him back in annoyance asking what he did wrong for him to have been beaten with the rod at first and also being punched on the face whilst holding on to his mouth obviously, having being injured.
“The said SUPOL Aliyu did not stop at that. He continued to hit the man with the rod whilst the other man pushed him in return and dragged the big rod from him too. I intervened by asking Supol Aliyu not to hit the man any longer because he was in uniform and I also was telling the other man to stop pushing and be calm about it alI. I let him know immediately that I came off my car to protect him against being cheated so, he should just hold on for me to talk to Supol Aliyu, only to hear Supol Aliyu calling for reinforcement through one of the LASTMA officials who came around but did not seem to heed the request.
“Suddenly, some men appeared at the scene descending heavily on the said driver. Thereafter, when I sought the audience with SUPOL Aliyu, he refused to listen to me, what I got in return was a very heavy slap on my face and cheek.
“Whilst still trying to get myself together, the big black rod used by the Supol on the other man landed on my right leg severally, with continued beatings all over my body. I was thereafter pushed alongside the other man to the chagrin of my colleagues who asked them to leave me alone.One of the men at the scene who is believed to be a police man pointed a pistol at the man for whom I intervened.
“The matter did not end there as I was pushed alongside the man earlier beaten up, into a faragon commuter bus. I was handcuffed with the other man and driven to the Task Force office at Bolade-Oshodi. As we were being driven to their office, they were hitting us continuously in the bus to the extent that my eye glasses fell off and got lost. We were later taken out of the bus and asked to sit on the floor with some others, in the glare of the public like criminals.”
Abijo said he noticed that not less than 40 people who were already stripped of their dresses were there. He said the other man was taken away by one police inspector who continued the beating until a superior officer came and asked that we be brought to his office.
“At this point, the handcuffs had been taken off upon my demand after I had introduced myself as a legal practitioner and that nothing should have warranted being handcuffed. At this point, the officers became very courteous in handling the issues and told me to let them deal with the issue of both policemen in-house and but pleaded with me to forgive.”
Chiamaka Nwangwu
Going to the police station was the beginning of trouble for an Ontisha female lawyer, Chiamaka Nwangwu.
On January 23, 2018, Nwangwu had responded to a distress call from her colleague in Abuja to go to 3-3 Police Division, Nkwelle Ezunaka, Anambra State over the detention of her younger brother who was dragged there by his landlord. In the course of attempting to get the detainee released on bail, Nwangwu said she ended up being beaten, tortured, thrown into a cell and detained.
On getting to the station around 10am, she met the young man making a statement at the IPO’s office. She approached him and asked what happened and he narrated everything that transpired to her. The boy told her that his landlord had made a statement against him on the night of January 21. She was also informed by his parents that the said landlord had been with the Divisional Crime Officer (DCO)1 since 6am on that fateful day. Nwangwu went into the office of the DCO1 and saw a man who she did not know was the landlord.
She claimed to have politely briefed the DCO1 of her mission and who in turn told her that they were investigating the matter. The DCO1 also told her that if she was not satisfied with their investigations, she could transfer the matter to State CID or Area Command.
The lawyer called the DCO2, met him outside and asked if the DPO came to work that day. ‘’She told me that the DPO was not in the office that morning but may come to work later. She called her mother on phone and told her about the matter she went for. When she went back, she saw the young man she came to bail behind the counter and signaled to him and was told that the IPO and DCO1 directed him to stay there.
She said the young man was complaining that most parts of his body where he was beaten by his landlord were seriously bringing out pus and disturbing him.
Unknown to her, while still busy with her client, a woman in native clothes, who she later learned is Jane Mbanefo, the DPO, was watching her and became very aggressive and ordered her to leave the administrative office. Despite the fact that she was meeting the DPO for the first time, she claimed she shouted at her, asking what her interest was in the matter.
She said she was not only shocked and embarrassed but equally angry at how the DPO, Jane Mbanefo, was screaming and throwing tantrums at her.
Even as she made to leave the office, she said the DPO continued yelling, and insulting lawyers generally, boasting that she is equally a lawyer of 20 years post-call.
She said: “Before I knew what was happening, as I was walking out, Jane Mbanefo, the DPO of 3-3 Police Division, slapped me and in the process, one of the handles of my recommended glasses fell off. Taking a cue from what their DPO was doing battering me, other junior police officers joined hands and beat me up mercilessly.
“My black gown was torn, I was stripped naked. What was uppermost in my mind then was to get their assault of me recorded. I managed to get my phone out of my handbag to record and video the scene, but one of the policewomen, took my Gionee A1 Phone, smashed it and proceeded to seize the damaged phone.”
Nwangwu is presently demanding for justice for the abuse and violation of her rights by the 3-3 DPO, Mrs Mbanefo.
10- year- old boy seeks justice
Also not too long ago, a 10-year-old boy, Jonathan Adewuyi,demanded for justice over the death of his father allegedly killed by the police. The young Adewuyi accused policemen attached to the Ayinla Police Division in Agbado, Ogun State of torturing his father to death. He said the incident occurred at their number 4, Itoki Road, Itoki residence, where he boy lived with his father, Sina Adewuyi, 45, a bricklayer.
According to the boy, his father died from injuries he sustained after he was brutalised by some policemen who came to extort his master, Dona Okey.
Reliving the ordeal, the boy said after the policemen beat up his father for asking why they were in his compound, they bundled him into their bus, took him away only to return at about 10pm.
He said: “I am an apprentice working with the man (Okey) learning to sell spare parts. His shop is in the same compound where we live. My master told them he had no money then because he used to give them money before.
“When my father came out from the house, he saw policemen and wanted to know what happened.But they shouted at him and told him to leave the vicinity. He told them he lived in the compound, but they refused to listen and started beating him for having the guts to talk back at them.
“He tried to run away from them, but they chased him, caught up with him, hit him with a gun butt and asked him to enter their bus, which he refused. They bundled him into the bus and took him away.
“He did not return till about 10pm that day and when he came back, he was in pains with marks of brutality on his body. He was complaining of headache and chest pain and so, we gave him painkillers but he vomited them.
“My mother said we will take him to the hospital in the morning since it was already late, but around 5am on Sunday, he died.”
Abused by men of Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS)
Abuse of innocent civilians is not limited to police and the military. A businessman, Chidi Nzelu, accused officers of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Oron border, in Cross River State, of torturing and extorting money from him.
Nzelu, an indigene of Ojoto, in Anambra State, alleged that he was stripped, beaten up and made to call his relatives to send N100,000 or be killed.
He alleged that he was tortured on February 20 and accused of defrauding Deyong Bruno, who he claimed to have assisted on February 12 while returning to Nigeria from Cameroon.
Nzelu said he innocently assisted Bruno, who claimed to be a Cameroonian and was in Nigeria for the first time, not knowing the man was a mole in a gang of fraudulent NIS officers, who specialise in extorting money from people.
The victim who sells pharmaceutical products and usually travel to neighbouring countries, said he was tortured and made to admit that he collected CFA420,000 from Bruno. He said they used tear-gas on him and threatened that if he did not comply with their demand, he would be killed and his body thrown into the river. He said he begged the NIS officers and asked that they hand him over to the police, whose office was next to theirs in Oron, but they refused.
“They asked how much I had and I told them it was only N31,000. They kept on beating me. I bled, but they did not stop. They asked me how much was in my account, I told them there was no money in it. When the torture became unbearable, I agreed to give them N100,000.
“They gave me my phone, which they had earlier seized and said I should call my family to pay the money into my account. I called my wife and told her it was an emergency and that she should look for the money and send it. I told her I was in danger.
“She called friends and relatives and finally raised the money, which she sent to my account. Immediately I received alert, the Immigration officers took my ATM card and went to the bank. They withdrew the money, returned to their office and forced me to sign a document that Bruno gave me N100,000, not CFA420,000 and that I had repaid the money.
“After signing, they asked me to go. I could not walk or sit down. I am taking this opportunity to appeal to human rights defenders and others to intervene in this matter. I want justice.”
Freedom of Expression
A number of journalists, under different guises, have also been harassed, intimidated and arrested by security in the course of performing their duties despite the provisions of the Constitution that guarantees freedom of expression as a matter of right.
The State Security Services (SSS) last week arrested the Abuja Bureau Chief of the Independent Newspaper, Mr Tony Ezimakor.He was arrested by the SSS for publishing a story on the alleged payment of $2 million to the Boko Haram terrorists for the release of some of the abducted Chibok girls.
He noted that the SSS which felt embarrassed by the publication, has continued to hold Mr. Ezimakor incommunicado and has asked him to disclose his source of information as a condition for his release from the illegal custody of the State Security Service.
Ezimakor to date is still being held by the SSS contrary to the provisions of Section 35(2) of the Constitution which stipulates that “any person who is arrested or detained shall have the right to remain silent or avoid answering any question until after consultation with a legal practitioner or any other person of his own choice”.
On January 19, last year, police raided the offices of Premium Times and arrested its publisher Dapo Olorunyomi and correspondent Evelyn Okakwu and detained for several hours, after the Chief of Army Staff accused the newspaper of offensive publications.
Kaduna State police, on April 19 last year, arrested and detained Midat Joseph, a journalist with Leadership Newspaper, for a WhatsApp comment. He was taken to court the next day on charges of criminal conspiracy, inciting disturbance and injurious falsehood. On July 31, the court dismissed the case on grounds of lack of diligent prosecution.
Also last year, on September 19, the Katsina State police arrested three bloggers, Jamil Mabai, Bashir Dauda and Umar Faruq, for criticising the governor. Bashir Dauda and Umar Faruq were released after one week and Jamil Mabai was detained for 22 days.
Audu Maikori, who was arrested for publishing false information online on October 27, was awarded 40 million naira (USD112,700) in compensation for unlawful arrest and detention.
Way out of abuse
Analysts have attributed the abuses of the civilians by men of the security agencies to faulty recruitment processes, poor training, mental imbalance, corruption and fallout of long years of military rule. They suggested strict adherence to rules of engagement and continuous training and re-training of men of the different security agencies to reverse the trend.
Founder and Executive Director, Crimes Victim Foundation of Nigeria (CRIVIFON) Mrs Gloria Egbuji, shared in this thought. Her foundation has been engaging the Police on how to relate with the civilian population since. Through CRIVIFON, she has held training programmes for the police on such topics as human rights, rule of law, community safety and democratic policing, among others.
She said it is possible for the Police to attain positive image. “It is a gradual process. The public may not see much of it but it is now being talked about and gradually police are now afraid of collecting money for bail and long unreasonable detentions”, she said.
The CRIVIFON Executive Director stated further: “The future of police in Nigeria, like all other things, will have a change in narratives because crime is dynamic, change is constant and the world is moving forward. NPF will not be left alone.
“Police at the moment are grossly underfunded and ill equipped operation wise, poor remuneration lack of training lack of forensic science etc. As the police managers continue to strive for better funding, the future will be bright for NPF”, she contended adding,“So long as democratic process continues to improve, Police will improve because police drives democracy to ensure rule of law is maintained”.
Nigerian Navy spokesperson, Commodore Ayo Olugbode said Naval authorities do not condone any act of human right abuse and does not in any way support it.
Olugbode said each time there has been any report of abuse, Nigerian Navy have always dealt with it and expedite disciplinary action. He described as unfortunate and unfounded that this allegation abuses from human rights organisations and AI has been juxtaposed under the current insurgency operation of Nigeria where we have made tremendous efforts to make the country secured for everybody.
“If for any reason, individuals have run foul of the law and unfortunately in unconventional way, we have responded to make sure that their actions are curtailed in such a way that it would not affect the people’s livelihood and socio-economic activities and that is being used as a criterion to determine human rights abuse, I think that is very unfounded.
“If at any time there is any report or anyone has allegation against any naval personnel, the Nigerian Navy authority will expedite disciplinary action and sanction such individual”, he stated.
Olugbode said naval officers are well trained on how to deal with the civilian population. According to him, “we do have civil military access and and civil military situation; the first is the American nomenclature while the other is the European nomenclature. They all guide our people on their conduct and subjugation to civil authority.
“We also have clear guidelines under the Geneva Convention. So, we are totally guided but that is not to say we don’t have those who go contrary to this. But as many times as we find such individuals, we take the necessary measures”.
Nigerian Army spokesman. Brigadier General Texas Chukwu did not pick any of the several calls made to his GSM line nor responded to a text message sent to him on the issue.
Although, Police spokesperson, Jimoh Moshood, an Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), asked our correspondent to call him as from 4.00 p.m. on Sunday, he also did not pick his phone when called non reponded to text message.
