Journalist threatens Army chief Buratai, demands N50m, apology

A senior correspondent with the Punch Newspaper, Mr Friday Olokor, has threatened to drag the chief of Army staff, Tukur Buratai to court over what he said, was the dehumanising treatment meted on him by soldiers, Jos, the Plateau State capital.

He demanded for a written apology from the army chief, and the immediate payment of N50 Million as compensation for the assault, humiliation and inhuman treatment”.

According to Olokor, in a letter by his lawyer, Olisa Tochukwu, he was at a restaurant in Jos having dinner, when “three truckload of Soldiers fully masked led by one Captain Rabiu invaded the area, arrested our client and many others without giving our client any reason for the arrest. Our client promptly identified himself as a journalist but was ignored”.

He continued, “Our client was informed that the ‘SPECIAL SQUAD’ from Maiduguri was deployed by you for his arrest.

“He was later taken to the 3 Division of the Nigerian Army Headquarters in Rubuka Barracks, Jos, and kept in an uncompleted building where ALL HIS BELONGINGS were confiscated and held incommunicado. His plea to be allowed to communicate with his family or his editors was refused as the soldiers threatened to waste him if he does not keep quiet.

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“Our client was kept in the most dehumanizing condition with more than 30 other persons and made to urinate or pass faeces in the same room.

“The next day, he was interviewed more than 5 times by Military police officers who kept him at constant watch. Several photos of his were taken as well as his house address.

“It took the intervention of Col. Kayode Ogunsanya, the Deputy Director of Army Public Relations in 3 Division Army… before he was released”.

Tochukwu further explained, that “if you fail or neglect to heed the above stated demand within 48 (Forty Eight) Hours from the time of receipt of this letter, we shall immediately commence cogent legal action against you and your agents”.

It would be recalled, that the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) Plateau state chapter, had also reacted angrily to the arrest and detention of Mr Olokor by the military.

The group had threatened to boycott the Army’s activities, if they did not mend their ways and apologise to Olokor for the treatment.

 

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