Following the dastard killing of two military men by some hoodlums at Okene in Kogi State on August 12, 2012, virtually all forms of security operatives went wild making sporadic arrests here and there within and around Okene town.
This is normal perhaps under such condition, security operatives may have to make some arrests in places they might have marked as dark spots in other to get to the root cause of the senseless killings and even find out those who actually carried it out.
But rather than making arrests at dark spots, every able young man found on the streets or even in their houses were arrested enmass as suspects. This was why so many men left their houses and started sleeping in the bush and on several hills around Okene town then.?
Of course, the killing of the two soldiers, like the killing of 16 members of Deeper Life Church at the suburb Okene town two days before then offended and irritated every reasonable person. That was why those killings were widely condemned within and outside the shore of Nigeria, whether a Muslim or Christian.
Two days after the killings of the two, precisely on August 14,? Lt Col Femi Olorunyomi , a member of the military joint task force in Lokoja led a troop to arrest a retired army major, Ali Abdullahi at Okene for an undisclosed reasons.
Olorunyomi also picked a serving Sergeant Abdul Wahab Yunusa from his duty post in the Lokoja army record barrack on the grounds that he discussed on phone with Major Abdullahi.
Olorunyomi took the two men to Abuja and detained them at Mogadishu Barrack guardroom rather than handing them over to the police to carry out proper investigation for whatever reasons the army has for their arrest.
The Nigerian army subsequently transferred the two ‘suspects’ to Army record barracks guardroom in Lokoja after a month from Mogadishu barracks and since been unable to disclose reasons for their arrest and incarceration.
Perhaps, this informed reasons why the two men on September 18 filed a suit before an Abuja High Court and listed the Nigerian army, chief of army staff, Lt Col Femi Olorunyomi, minister of defence and the attorney general of federation and the minister of justice as co-defendants.
They asked the court to compel the defendants to disclose reasons for their arrests arraign them before a competent court of jurisdiction and release them unconditionally.
However, Justice U.A.Inyang had on October 8, 2012 ordered the defendants to release the plaintiffs unconditionally on bail which the defendants have refused to obey.
Consequently, the two men initiated contempt proceedings on October 18 before Justice Inyang to commit the chief of army staff and Olorunyomi to prison for disobeying court order.
They contended that although the defendants were yet to disclose reasons for their arrest and incarceration at Mogadishu barrack in Abuja till date but that the security operatives have since arrested the hoodlums that killed the two soldiers.
Besides, the slain soldiers’ riffles which were carted away after killing them have since been recovered without a trace of their involvement or in any way linked to them.
The 1st applicant averred that he has been a vigilante group set up at the instance of the police command at Lokoja that was meant to help combat the menace of armed robbery in Ebirraland.
In the motion on notice earlier filed by plaintiffs’ lawyer, Christopher Eichie to regain their freedom, they asked the court to declare their arrest and endless detention in military barracks’ guardroom illegal.
Consequently, they asked the court to make an order compelling respondents to release them unconditionally or arraign them before a competent court of jurisdiction
They asked the court also to make an order compelling respondents to pay the sum of N100 million as compensation for their illegal detention, inhuman and debasing treatment.
Abdullahi said Olorunyomi had called him on phone being the vigilante group head to inform him of killing of the two soldiers and the loss of their riffles the very day of the dastard act.
And that Olorunyomi asked him to go after the armed robbers who killed the soldiers and recover the missing riffles otherwise he would lead army troop to wipe out Ebirra people in Kogi state.
“That before this period, Olorunyomi has called him to warn him to quit politics.’’
Justice Inyang had granted their prayer for their unconditional release on the grounds that there were no reasons so far given for detaining the plaintiffs.
The trial judge said, ‘’For today, I hereby grant an order releasing the two applicants to their counsel on bail, who must produce them in the court from time to time when the case of the applicants comes up before the court pending the hearing and determination of the suit of the applicants on merit. This is to enable applicants seek medical treatment from any hospitals of their choice locally’’.
Of course, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of Kogi state have held Abdullahi responsible for causing it to lose the Adavi local government area during the governorship election that brought governor Idris Wada to power
According to Mallam Otori Abdulsalami, an elderly resident of Adavi LGA, the arrest of Abdullahi is not unconnected to the loss of Adavi by the PDP to ACN during the last governorship poll in Kogi state.
“I wonder why the Nigerian Army had allowed itself to be dragged into this political murky water. My advice to the army is withdraw itself because it is treading on the terrain it has little or limited knowledge and advantage to manage and succeed,’’ Otori said
A legal practitioner base in Abuja, Alasa Ismaila has also described the development as unacceptable saying there is no way the army barrack guardroom could be allowed to replace the prisons in Nigeria. He said, the army guardrooms in the barracks are meant? for disciplinary process of serving army personnel.
“A retired army officer or soldier is no longer in the system but a civilian..If he violates the law, it is police that ought to handle his matter not the army. The Nigerian Army Act spelt out the functions of the army and that does not involve arrest, detention for a day, talkless of two months in their guardroom. Their action amount to sheer recklessness and unfounded in our laws or constitution,” Alasa said.
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