Family members told the #EndSARS panel in Abuja that they had not seen the three detainees since their arrest over two years ago.
The #EndSARS panel investigating cases of police brutality in Abuja, on Tuesday, ordered the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Usman Baba, to produce three persons said to have been detained since December 2019.
Family members had petitioned the panel, alleging that the IGP-Intelligence Response Team (IGP-IRT) illegally arrested the trio – Danjuma Yakubu, Ibrahim Daniel and Choji Dung – on December 13 and 17, 2019.
One of the petitioners, Ismail Mairungo, is said to be a brother to Mr Yakubu and Mr Daniel, and the other petitioner, Blessing Choji-Dung, is said to be the wife of Mr Dung.
They both submitted a joint petition to the #EndSARS panel, raising allegations of “unlawful arrest, detention, torture, cruel inhuman and degrading treatment” meted out by the IGP-IRT operatives against the alleged victims.
The IGP-IRT, as of the time of the alleged incident, was then being led by Abba Kyari, a suspended deputy commissioner of police, who now faces cocaine charges in Nigeria and fraud charges in the United States of America.
PREMIUM TIMES reported how the two petitioners testified on March 3, 2022, appealing to the #EndSARS panel to help them secure the release of their family members from over two years of detention.
The panel had, after their testimonies, adjourned the case until March 8 (today) for cross-examination and defence by the police.
Tuesday’s hearing
But, on Tuesday, the police, who were absent during the petitioners’ testimonies, asked for an adjournment to afford them time to get familiarised with the petition and the records of the previous proceedings with the testimonies.
Police lawyer, James Idachaba, noted that it was hard to link any police officer to the case, as the petitioners, he said, did not mention the names of any police officer involved.
He added that, Blessing Ezeala, the lawyer who is in charge of cases involving the IGP-IRT, was absent.
He, therefore, urged the panel to issue and serve an order on the office of the IGP for the production of the alleged detainees.
Following the request, the #EndSARS panel ordered the IGP, who is named as the second respondent in the case, to produce the alleged victims on March 11 (Friday).
Background
Mr Mairungo had, in his testimony on March 3, told the panel that his two brothers among the three detainess were arrested on December 13, 2019.
He said Mr Yakubu, whom he said was a police officer serving in the police anti-riot unit in Jada, Adamawa State, was arrested after obtaining his commandant’s permission to visit his family.
He did not elaborate on his other brother, Mr Daniel’s arrest, other than telling the panel that Mr Yakubu had gone to see him on the day of their arrest.
On her part, Mrs Choji-Dung told the #EndSARS panel how her husband was arrested by the IGP-IRT on December 17, 2019. She said he had received a call from Mr Yakubu, whom he said was his friend, to step out of the house. She said she followed her husband outside only to see him taken by the IGP-IRT operatives.
She added that she immediately went to a nearby police station to report the incident but was told that the team was from Abuja.
Mr Mairungo and Mrs Choji-Dung told the panel that they had not seen the three detainees since their arrest over two years ago.
They said they took the matter to court and got a court judgment ordering the police to release or charge the arrested persons to court, but the police flouted the order.
Panel’s ruling
In its ruling delivered by its acting chairperson, Garba Tetengi, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, the panel ordered the IGP to produce the detainees at its proceedings of March 11 (Friday).
But it fixed March 22 for cross-examination of the petitioners and defence by the police.
The panel set up in the aftermath of the October 2020 #EndSARS protest against police brutality is probing petitions of alleged human rights violation committed by the defunct Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), and other police units.
Set up by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), the 11-man Independent Investigative Panel, commonly referred to as #EndSARS, is to recommend compensations to victims of police brutality or their family members at the end of its hearing. It is also expected to recommend erring police officers for disciplinary actions or prosecution in deserving circumstances.
PREMIUM TIMES
