Feranmi Akanni
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 brutalized 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 Public Relations, 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 in accordance 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.
Hotel manager dies after torture
In April, Mr Achimugu Etubi, a hotel manager in Umuahia, Abia State, was tortured to death by army personnel after a Nigerian Air Force cadet, CDT Emmanuel Onyemereche, drowned in the hotel pool on April 9.
Initially, the police detained four hotel workers, including Etubi, for a night and then released them on bail.However, on Friday, military officers, led by Major Inuwa, took the workers for further investigations.
Fearing for his hotel, the owner released the workers to the military personnel.Narrating the ordeal, the hotel owner, Steve Ihedigbo, said the workers were brutally beaten in the barracks. Etubi, unable to withstand the torture, collapsed and later died.
The Director of Army Public Relations, Major General Onyema Nwachukwu, stated on April 14 that the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, had ordered a comprehensive investigation into the incident.
13-year-old takes own life after torture
Earlier in June, 13-year-old Wisdom Hashim from Kaduna died by suicide after being falsely accused of theft and tortured by a soldier.
The soldier was invited by one Hope, a 16-year-old neighbour, to deal with Wisdom when he wouldn’t admit to stealing N10,000. Despite receiving medical attention, Wisdom later took his own life.
In a tragic twist, Hope’s brother later confessed to taking the money. Wisdom’s mother, Abigail Hashim, recounted, “The money was not found in my son’s hands, yet they took him and beat him.”
The state police command, through its public relations officer Mansir Hassan, stated that investigations had commenced and those found guilty would face the law.
Despite acknowledgements of these crimes and promises of justice, the misuse of security officers by civilians against others remains a deeply concerning issue in Nigeria.
Military arms and functions
The various arms of security in the country—the military (army, navy, and air force), police, and intelligence gathering arm—have specific jurisdictions.
The Nigerian Police Force and the Civil Defence Corps maintain peace and order within the country.
The Nigerian Military protects the borders and the nation from external aggression, while intelligence outfits like the Department of State Security Service handle intelligence investigations.
However, there has been continuous overreaching where military personnel dive into civilian matters, often resulting in unlawful actions. This practice has been repeatedly condemned by the Nigerian Police.