Nigerian Army Denies Forcing Boko Haram Suspects To Drink Urine
The Nigerian Army denied forcing the 486 Boko Haram suspects
arrested on their way from Jigawa to Port Harcourt on June 15, 2014, in 33
buses to drink urine.
Army witness, Maj. Chudi Aniukwu,
stated this on Wednesday in Abuja, when he testified before the Presidential
Investigation Panel on Human Right Violation.
Aniukwu, who was cross-examined by
Mr Abdullahi Achara, counsel to the petitioners, debunked the allegation.
Aniukwu, also a Controller of the
Nigerian Army Operation Centre, North East, said none of the arrested suspect
was forced to drink urine as reported in the media.
He said that the 486 suspects ate
the same food with the soldiers, adding that the suspects were kept for seven
days for proper profiling by the DSS.
Aniukwu said that out of the 486
suspects, only one person was identified by the DSS as a Boko Haram suspect,
adding that nothing was found on the remaining suspects.
Aniukwu said he got a call at 3 am
on June 15, 2014, that the Army in Port Harcourt had intercepted Boko Haram
suspects, crossing over to other parts of Nigeria, especially the Niger Delta.
“We placed all our checkpoints on
maximum alert, and I got a call that they have intercepted 33 buses, carrying
only men who had nothing on them.
“We moved all of them to Abia
headquarters of the Army base, and we informed the highest authority in the
Army and the DSS.’’
He said after serious scrutiny and
proper profiling by the DSS, only one person was found to be a member of Boko
Haram.
The Army witness said what aroused
suspicion was that such a huge number of movement of people had not been
witnessed on a single day, and considering the volatile security situation in
the country at the time
He, however, said that the Abia
Government provided the needed support for the suspects while in Army custody,
adding that all of them were well fed
He said after the investigation by
the DSS, the driver of each vehicle was given N22,000 to enable them returned
to their destinations.
Mr Suleiman Adamu, a driver of one
of the vehicles, who testified, said the passengers were going to Port Harcourt
for greener pastures.
Prof Akinseye George, (SAN) counsel
to the Military, who cross-examined Adamu, said that 17 passengers were on his
own bus.
He said that he knew some of the
people in the other buses, especially the driver, stating that not all of the
passengers were known to him.
According to him, “I am a driver and
I used to convey passengers to Port Harcourt, I have been driving the same
route for 15 years.’’
He said that as a driver and
passengers, they were all looking for greener pasture, stressing that he was
held in the Army custody for 12 days, contrary to Army’s claim of seven days.
Chairman of the Panel, Justice
Biobele George, discharged the witness after his testimony.
He said that their complaints would
be looked into and recommendations submitted to President Muhammadu Buhari for
necessary action.
Nigerian Army Denies Forcing Boko Haram Suspects To Drink Urine
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Wednesday, November 08, 2017
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