By Eric Ikhilae, Abuja
It was a litany of complaints against men of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) at the resumed proceedings of the Independent Investigative Panel (IIP) on human rights violation by the defunct SARS and other units of the police in Abuja.
Two complainants, Sani Halilu and Haruna Usman, claimed to have been tortured by policemen for 19 days, during which they developed various heath challenges, including bleeding from private part.
Another petitioner, Abraham Nyamkwange, told the panel how some police personnel allegedly made his family to pay N203, 000 for his brother’s corpse, which the security officials have refused to release.
Halilu, who claimed to be a journalist, said he attended an event on September 10, 2020 at the NICON Luxury Hotel, Abuja.
He claimed to have been arrested by some policemen, while trying to locate an acquaintance and accused of complicity in the missing laptop belonging to one Salisu Buhari in the hall of the hotel.
Halilu, who claimed to have been arrested with Usman, handcuffed and taken to SARS office for interrogation, but were transferred, two days later, to a cell where they spent 19 days under torture.
He added that, as a result of the torture, they developed health challenges, including rashes, sores and general body weakness. He said blood was gushing out of his private part.
Halilu added that the Investigating Police Officer (IPO) allegedly pressured his family to sell their farmland and raise N500, 000 for them, adding that the pressure has continued even after his release.
Testifying before the panel, Nyamkwange recalled how his late brother’s wife, Rosemary, called him, April 24, 2020, and said that he just learnt that his brother, Simon Aondofa Nyamkwange, had been shot.
Nyamkwange added that when he got to the SARS office in Abuja with his cousin, they were referred to Wuse Zone 3 Police Station.
He said when they got to Wuse Zone 3 Police Station, one Mr. Ibrahim, who identified himself as the IPO, told them that his brother was shot at Eterna Filling Station in Wuse Zone 2 and that when he was brought to the police station he bled to death.
Nyamkwange stated that the IPO showed them his late brother’s driver’s license, GSM phone, two ATM cards (Zenith and ECO Bank) and one other identity card possible to prove the identity of the deceased.
Nyamkwange further told the panel that the IPO Ibrahim (2nd respondent) said he was instructed not to say anything concerning the matter.
He claimed that, while seeking to have his brother’s corpse released, officer Aunde Peter (3rd respondent), officer (Mrs) Aunde (4th respondent) and one (Vershima Zaki) non-police officer and 5th respondent), extorted N203, 000 from his family, but never released the corpse till date.
According to the petitioner, the money was remitted to the police personnel in two tranches of N103, 000 and N100, 000.
He claimed that the family, after paying the money, could no longer reach any of the affected police officers on phone, neither did they release the corpse for which they collected the stated amount, the petitioner added.
When the panel asked him the whereabouts of his late brother’s body, the complainant said that he was informed by the police that his body was deposited at Wuse Zone 3 General Hospital.
On his prayers before the panel, Abraham pleaded with the panel to order the police to release his brother’s corpse to his family for proper burial.
The 11-man panel, headed by Justice Suleiman Galadima (rtd), has adjourned further hearing in both cases till April 7 and 8 this year.
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