Lawyers allege torture of 28 detained soldiers

LAWYERS to the 28 soldiers standing trial in the Military Court Martial over the July 5 violent demonstrations against non-remittance of peace-keeping allowances have petitioned the Presidency alleging gruesome oppression and terror by the Army authorities against the detained soldiers.

The lawyers, in a statement made available to The Guardian yesterday, appealed to the Presidency and the general public to prevail on the Nigerian Army to stop further inhuman treatment of these patriotic Nigerians who were put in hell for demanding their entitlements.

Specifically, the lawyers accused the Commander of the Military Police of the Second Mechanised Division, Col. Lasbry Odunwa, who heads the investigating team, of sadistically causing physical and psychological torture of the detained men and women with the threat of summary execution.

In the statement signed by the lead defence counsel, Peter Ike Adonu, the lawyers stated that following the interest shown by the National Assembly on the soldiers case, Odunwa allegedly gathered the accused at the parade grounds of the Owena Barracks of the 323 Artillery Brigade, Akure, raining curses at them.

He said his clients informed him that Odunwa, who is also the first Prosecution Witness in the matter before the Brigadier-General Bauka-led nine-member court martial, after the gathering, poured invectives on the accused saying,You bastards, you have forgotten that you are soldiers and that I can do anything to you. All the press publications you have made, what impart has it yielded for you, you goats! I am going to make life miserable for you as from today and tell you that the Army is above any law and if you misbehave I will fire you dead and tell the whole world that you wanted to escape. As from this night, I will buy gloves and search your private parts....

The lawyers also stated that Odunwa singled out the two female soldiers, Pte Esther Nkawor and Pte Yetunde Olaniyan and ordered them to do frog-jump until they collapsed and lost consciousness before they were dragged on the ground to a secluded cell.

The release stated further, The other 26 soldiers were also not spared as one Lt. S. Uwam was detailed to buy new keys and fastened the soldiers in smaller cells in fetters. The soldiers urinate and pass faeces in the same place they are sleeping. May we say that Col. Odunwa who is a key witness for the army in this orchestrated drama by the Bauka headed Court Martial has turned himself into a terror and monster to these soldiers. These soldiers are peoples children and citizens of this country. They are not criminals and are entitled to be protected by the government.

While stressing the need to protect the fundamental human rights of these soldiers, the lawyers said, Nigeria is a democratic country that believes in the rule of law and not under any despotic military dictator. The army authorities should be promptly called to order. We are appealing to the Presidency and the Senate to order the immediate release of the soldiers pending the investigation by the Senate into the matter. These soldiers are innocent and law abiding and do not deserve this cruel and inhuman treatment!