Tag: Nigerian Army

Some personnel of the Nigerian Army on Wednesday 27th of November 2024, allegedly assaulted a 19-year-old female student of the department of botany, University of Calabar and her mother at Jonathan Bypass, Akai-Efa, Calabar.

Narrating her ordeal to our correspondent on Saturday, the student, Everister Paul, said a female soldier identified as Sgt. Maria Okoi mobilized her colleagues to beat her up for spraying her hair and for responding to her (Maria Okoi’s) questions in good English.

“It happened at the checkpoint opposite the Catholic Church axis at Bypass. She called me and I crossed over to go and answer her. I greeted her ‘good evening ma.’ And she responded, saying ‘na only you sabi speak English. Na only you go school’. She then called her colleagues and said she’s going to beat me up. She’s going to show me madness because I sprayed my hair,” she narrated.

Everister said she sustained severe injuries on her head when Maria Okoi hit her with the butt of her gun, and that the soldiers numbering 7 slapped, kicked and dragged her, tearing her clothes to shreds.

Read Also: Man and girlfriend arraigned for allegedly assaulting his baby mama in Ondo

“Seven of them, two females and five males, including their boss, slapped me and used rope to tie my hands to my back”, she said.

They did not end there, it was alleged that the soldiers equally beat up her mother after her younger sister who was with her all these while ran home and alerted their parents. When the father, Paul Agbahime, a police inspector tried to intervene, one of the soldiers cocked her gun and thundered that she had been ordered to shoot, dispersing the crowd who had gathered.

Our correspondent who visited the scene at the weekend with human rights lawyer, James Ibor, confirmed from three different sources that the incident indeed took place with witnesses identifying Sergeant Maria Okoi and the leader of the soldiers who abetted the crime while it lasted.

When contacted, the Public Relations Officer of the 13th Brigade, Nigerian Army, Calabar, Captain Jemila Jimoh, said the military police was investigating the incident and promised to keep the public updated.

Meanwhile, James Ibor, the Principal Counsel of Basic Rights Initiative expressed concern over the growing criminality among military personnel carrying out police duties. According to Ibor, the Nigerian Military is inept and actively enabling criminality. He called on the Attorney General to rise to the occasion and ensure that justice is served.

Source: HitFm Calabar

By Nsan Ndoma-Neji

Youth leader, Agbokim Waterfalls in Etung local government area of Cross River State, Comrade Williams Akam Takon, has called on authorities of the 13 Brigade Nigerian Army, Calabar, to cautioned its personnel in Afi Barracks Edor, Ikom local government area from intimidating community locals residing in their ancestral home.

The youth leader made the appeal on Tuesday at Agbokim while reacting to the presence of military personnel trooping to the community on daily basis.

Takon claimed that the community locals are always intimidated at the slightest provocation, sighting an instance where the uniformed men stormed the community in an unholy hour claiming to look for one of the youths, Mr Akem Aganchawa.

According to him, they broke into the victim’s house in search of Mr Akem Aganchawa who is said to be at large as of the time of fielding this report.

“We used to have some peaceful military men with us who are said to be military intelligence, of course they were friendly and so calm. They were like brothers to this community, unfortunately the reverse is the case now.

“The military personnel entering our community since July this year, they  come with hostility, intimidation and sometimes even end up flogging the community locals, especially if they are unable to apprehend the individual that  had been penciled down for arrest.”

Also speaking on the harassment and intimidation of community, a stakeholder in the area, Mr Asu Njoh,  said it was unfortunate for people who were supposed to give protection to the locals are the same persons intimidating the locals.

Our correspondent who visited the Agbokim Waterfalls community in the course of doing this report saw a  group of heavily armed men in army uniform patrolling Agbokim Caraboat on motorcycles.

One of the community locals, Mr Chris Ephraim who spoke with our correspondent at Agbokim Caraboat (farm settlement) alleged that the soldiers were being used by a certain cocoa farmer to intimate another farmer struggling hectares of cocoa with him.

Reacting to the issue, Army Public Relations Officer, 13 Brigade  headquarters Akim Barracks Calabar, Captain Jamila Jumoh, denied the allegations, stressing that the only incident she is aware of was an incident concerning a kidnapping and the military authority raided the place and found some exhibits.

“Anyone accusing the military of backing someone with military affiliation should come to the Barracks to make complaint,” the PRO stressed.