‘SOLDIERS MANHANDLE SUSPECTED THIEF AT WUSE 2’

A middle-aged man was said to have been beaten to an unconscious state by soldiers stationed at the recently sealed Amigo Supermarket in Wuse 2 area of Abuja yesterday.
According to a witness, who spoke with our reporter on condition of anonymity, the man was brought to the soldiers by a motorist in a metallic gold Honda Accord car at about 5 pm on Saturday, accusing him of burgling his car in an attempt to steal valuables.
“As soon as he was handed over to the soldiers, they tied him and started beating him and pouring cold water on him till night. They detained him behind Amigo Supermarket and only brought him out in the morning,” the witness said.
Another witness who has a business outfit in the area, added that when the man was brought out in the morning and given food to eat, he tried to escape. The soldiers subsequently pursued and caught him. They were alleged to have beaten him up again until he became unconscious.
“When the soldiers realized that the man was ‘dying,’ they tried to hand him over to a Police Patrol team passing by the area but the policemen declined accepting him, seeing the condition of the man,” the source said.
When our reporter visited the spot, soldiers were seen guarding the sealed premises of the supermarket. There was no sign of the injured victim.
Some residents in the area who spoke with City News said the soldiers always subject people who passed by Amigo Supermarket to harassment.
“They can’t just be treating people like animals, that is not what they were sent here to do. Some people do not know what happened to the Supermarket. They don’t know that Amigo has been sealed by the authorities so the road has been partially closed to pedestrians,” one of the residents lamented.
When contacted on the matter, Nigerian Army spokesperson, Brigadier General Attahiru Ibrahim confirmed the arrest of the accused. He said a suspected thief was handed over to soldiers posted to guard the Amigo Supermarket by a resident who claimed he had attempted to rob him of valuables. He said the suspect was subsequently interrogated before he was finally handed over to the police. He declined comments on whether the suspect was manhandled.
Deputy Superintendent Hyelhira Altine Daniel also confirmed that the suspect was indeed in police custody. She also said that the suspect was briefly hospitalised.
She said that the information reaching her was that a suspect, named Emeka Kalu Nnante, 22, was allegedly nabbed by a soldier when he broke into his vehicle parked at Arisa club, Wuse 2 and made away with his wallet, handset and camera.
“The suspect admitted breaking into the said vehicle and making away with a phone, camera and wallet but when he discovered that the items belonged to a soldier, he made to return them and was in the process arrested by the soldier who subsequently handed him over to the soldiers guarding the supermarket. They detained him over night and handed him over to the police in the morning.”
She said investigation into the matter is still on.
Source: Daily Trust