Plateau residents accuse military of illegal arrest, brutality

The military agreed the villager was arrested but denied mistreatment.

News Agency of Nigeria • October 2, 2021

A community in Vwang District of Jos South Local Government Area in Plateau State has accused the military of invading the village to illegally arrest and brutalise a villager.

The chairman of Dakunji Concerned Citizens Forum, Pam Logyang, made the accusation at a news conference in Jos on Saturday.

Mr Logyang said that operatives of Operation Safe Haven (OPSH), a military task force set up to maintain peace in Plateau, stormed the village at midnight on September 13 and arrested one Davou Nyango.

“On the midnight of September 13, the military, without prior notice or warrant of arrest, went to the residence of Nyango, a former Transitional Secretary of Jos South Local Government Council, broke into his house and took him away.

“The armed military men, numbering more than 15, shot sporadically into the air while the ordeal lasted,” he said.

Mr Logyang said members of the community traced and found Mr Nyango at the Area Command in Bukuru, near Jos before he was transferred to OPSH headquarters in Jos.

He added that Mr Nyango was detained for nine days and was brutalised leading to the damage of his right eye.

He also said that the incident left the victim and the community physically and emotionally traumatised.

The forum demanded that the military repair Mr Nyango’s damaged house, compensate him and also pay his hospital bills as he was still treating his damaged eye.

Mr Logyang said the community had pledged to work cordially with the military adding that all military actions must be in accordance with the 1999 Constitution and military extant law.

Reacting to the accusation, the Military Information Officer in the area, Major Ishaku Takwa, admitted that the military arrested and detained Mr Nyango, but denied torturing him.

“It is true that one Davou Nyango was arrested and detained by the military after his name was mentioned by a suspect who committed a crime.

“We carried out our investigation and discovered that he was not involved in the said crime so we released him. We are still investigating. If there is a need, we will invite him again.

“It is not true that we brutalised him. I saw him the day he was released and he was hale and hearty,” he said.

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