Human rights body demands probe of alleged abuses, attempted rape against NDLEA operatives

A Bauchi based human rights organization, Council for Affirmative Action, has demanded that the Bauchi State Command of the National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) as a matter of urgency, investigate and handover to the police, its operatives accused of alleged gross human rights violations and attempted rape.

The human rights organization further demanded to know whether the alleged action or act of the operatives was carried out with the consent of the Command.

It also threatened that failure to hear from the Command within five working days of the receipt of its petition, it will not hesitate to approach the court demanding an order of mandamus compelling the Command to do the
needful.

In a petition written by the organization and acknowledged by the State Command of the NDLEA titled ‘Complain against Baba Hayatu (Gombe), Abubakar Adamu and other Officers of the National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency’ it alleged that the mentioned officers acted in a way that violated the human rights of the complainant, one Mal Auwal Abdullahi, a 30 year old butcher.

The petition, a copy of which was made available to Journalists contained: “Sir, we deemed it fit to draw your attention on the above allegation by the underline aforementioned” .

According to Mbami Iliya Sabka, Human Right Defender, “the facts are that, Mr. Auwal Abdullahi, 30 years old, Male, Muslim, Businessman (Butcher) and Resident of Wuntin Dada, Bauchi Local Government Area, Bauchi
State herein refers as the petitioner”.

“That on the 18th day of October, 2022 at about 7;30pm or thereabouts, when the petitioner was at his business place in Wuntin Dada market, he saw three
men who were on Mufti without any form of identity, beating one Aminu Aminu Alkali whose father was a Magistrate Judge”, he added.

He explained further that, “The petitioner and other people got to intervene seeing the gross human right violation by your men who appeared without any official dress for identification as law enforcement agents” .

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According to him, “That your men let Aminu Aminu Alkali to go and they started beating the petitioner to the extent they tore his clothes, reason been that he interrogated them for their identify if truly they are law enforcement officers” .

He further alleged that, “That after the incidence, the petitioner went back home to change, on coming back to his business place in the Market square, he came across one among the persons that beat him and the community leaders insisted that the officer must identify himself considering the trend of insecurity in the country. The officer identified himself and the petitioner got to know that they were men of the National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA)”.

He also alleged that, “That at about 12:00hours on 18th day of October 2022, the same group of people on mufti raided the house of the petitioner and searched every person in the process. That one among the officers entered the petitioner’s bedroom and met one Aisha Auwal, grabbed, hugged her and in the process, he dragged her and Aisha shouted for help, his phone fell down and he picked the phone and fortunately he left the memory card inside the bedroom and they all ran away”.

He continued, that “the next day, the petitioner and eyewitness went to report the matter to the village
head of Wuntin Dada and showed him the memory card as exhibit which contains pictures of some among the officers that entered the house of the petitioner without search warrant”.

The Council for Affirmative Action therefore wants some issues for determination including whether or not the complainant as a citizen of the Federal Republic of Nigeria has the right to demand from the officers for their legal identity, seeing them in mufti violating the rights of other citizens?

By Yemi Kanji, Bauchi

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