Emmanuel Thomas l Tuesday, October 24, 2017
IKEJA, Lagos, Nigeria – A bearded man, Muhammed Onwuchekwa Okorie today appeared before Presidential Committee on Human Right Abuse by the military sitting in Ikeja, Lagos for alleged abuse of his rights in military detention.
Okorie who was detained in 2004 had petitioned the tribunal that he was tortured, brutalised and abused in military detention for four years on mere suspicion of importing firearms and plotting to shoot down a presidential helicopter.
His counsel, Mr. Charlse Nzegbulam told the Committee chaired by Justice Biobele Abraham Georgewill that his client submitted a petition for unlawful detention and torture and called his client to the Witness Box to testify.
Attempt by Okorie to testify before the committee was aborted when counsel to the Federal Government, led by Akinseye George interjected, noting that the Committee is not competent to hear the case since he was discharged by a competent court for want of diligent prosecution and that the petitioner should approach the regular court if he is not satisfied with his discharge.
Speaking for the defence team, Biola Oyebanjo argued that the petitioner was detained in a military facility via a court order and as such has no business before the committee.
In his reply, Nzegbulam said the petition falls within the purview of the committee and that the human rights of his client was abused having been detained in military facility, tortured and was only produced in court via a court order.
The defence team however failed to tender before the committee the court order that directed that the petitioner, a civilian be detained in a military facility.
But the petition was however discharge when the committee chairman referred the committee to its terms of reference which precludes probe of all human rights violations in military operations in Nigeria but limited to abuse of human rights when soldiers are deployed in war situations and local insurgents.
