Panel summons ex- governor Yerima over alleged torture of businessman

The Independent Investigative Panel probing rights violations by the disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) in Abuja on Wednesday, summoned a former Governor of Zamfara State, Sani Ahmed Yerima, over alleged torture of a businessman in the state.

The panel ordered the ex-governor Yerima to appear on January 12 after he was accused of instigating some policemen to arrest, torture, and detain the businessman, Alhaji Musa Wapa, over a business deal.

Yerima was governor of Zamfara from 1999 to 2007.

The ex- governor, who was not originally listed as a respondent in the petition, was summoned after the panel ordered that he be joined as a respondent in the matter.

The panel observed that while Yerima’s name was mentioned severally in the petition, he was not listed as a party by the petitioner.

READ ALSO: ‘Nobody’s business’ that Yerima married a 13-year-old, ‘her parents consented’— Sen Marafa

Wapa told the panel that ex-governor instigated the Inspector- General of Police Intelligence Response Team to torture, and detain him for six days despite a longstanding business partnership between them.

According to him, the crisis started on June 30, 2019, when they indebted to each other.

The businessman said while the ex-governor was indebted to him to the tune of N25million he owed Yerima N23million.

He pleaded with the panel to award him N100million compensation for the alleged rights violations.

The panel asked the former governor to appear on January 12 to explain his own side of the story.

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now