Fathia Abiona
On January 11, 2024, a gory video surfaced online showing two army officers torturing a half-naked man in Rivers State.
In the video, the brutalised youth is heard shouting and pleading with the soldiers, promising to confess, but the soldiers continue manhandling him, even kicking him with their boots.
Reacting swiftly to the video, Lieutenant Colonel Jonah Danjuma, acting Deputy Director of 6 Division Army PublicRelations, released a statement condemning the act.
He added that Major General Jamal Abdussalam, General Officer Commanding 6 Division, Nigerian Army/Land Component Commander, Joint Task Force, South- South, Operation Delta Safe, had commenced an investigation.
In his early January statement, Danjuma affirmed the army’s recognition of citizens’ fundamental human rights, stating that the Nigeria Army remains a professional force conducting its activities in adherence to established rules of engagement.
He encouraged well-meaning members of the public to continue to provide credible information on such unprofessional conducts, as the Division is poised to be more responsive to the public.
He assured that this “unfortunate isolated case” would be expeditiously addressed. However, as the year progressed, more cases of armed forces personnel torturing and causing the deaths of civilians emerged.
Tortured to death, Richard Onumaegbu, a civilian staff member of the Nigerian Navy, tragically lost his life due to an altercation that escalated because of the misuse of military power.
Richard had worked with the Nigerian Navy Reference Hospital, Ojo, Lagos State, as a Quality Assurance Officer in the medical laboratory for 15 years.
In April, an altercation with another civilian led to his death when the woman mobilized some naval officers to torture him.
His death from the sustained torture highlights a recurring problem in Nigeria’s security framework: the improper involvement of military personnel in civilian matters.
The incident began when a senior naval officer entrusted Richard with the care of his dogs. On March 26, after work, Richard encountered a woman who often taunted him, calling him names like ‘dog boy.’
That day, Richard stood up to her, demanding she stop the insults. The situation escalated, and the woman slapped him. Richard held her hands, pinned her down, and demanded an apology, which she eventually gave.
Unbeknownst to Richard, this was the beginning of his end. The woman later returned with five naval staff, who, without listening to Richard, began kicking, flogging, and punching him.
They stripped him naked and humiliated him for over five hours. They used fists, sticks, legs, wires, and stones, even flogging him on his privates and scrotum.
They made videos of him while neighbours watched without intervening. Richard reported the incident to the Nigerian Navy Hospital Regulating Office and later to the NNS WEY Regulating Office in the barracks, where he was too weak to write a statement but made an audio recording.
Despite his injuries, Richard was so dedicated to his work that he didn’t want to miss a day. Tragically, he died on Easter Sunday in his office.
An outcry for justice by his colleagues and friends led the Nigerian Navy to arrest the officers and the woman involved.
A statement on behalf of the Chief of Navy Staff, signed by Commodore A. A. Adams- Aliu, acknowledged the situation and revealed that an inquiry had commenced.
The Navy promised that “all necessary measures are being taken to uncover the cause of his death, and any individual found responsible will be prosecuted inaccordance with extant laws.”
Richard’s case is one of many where the unjust involvement of armed security forces in civilian matters has led to unfair treatment or death.