Adamawa stakeholders petition Presidency, Senate, CAS over extra–judicial killings

By Patrick Andrew

Stakeholders in Adamawa have petitioned the Presidency, the National Assembly, the four service chiefs, the human rights commission and the governor and Lamido of Adamawa over the spate of extra-judicial killings being carried out by Joint Task Force.

In a petition signed by M. D. Marafa esquire, the stakeholders appealed to the federal government and its agencies to caution the members of the Armed Forces against taking the laws into their hands by according the citizens of Adamawa state their full rights as citizens.

Speaking to journalists yesterday, Abdulrahman Baba Kwacham, said the people had to raised the petition because they could no longer stomach the abuse of the rule of engagement by the Joint Task Force, who instead of bringing relief to the people have tended to heightened their trauma.

They particularly expressed angst over the murder of Mohammed Abdullahi on the 11th of April at Mubi, Adamawa state where he was allegedly murdered by men and officers of the Joint Task Force stationed in Mubi.

According to him, the grieving family through their lawyer said their son, Mohammed, was a law-abiding citizen that had never been involved in any act that undermined the corporate interests of Nigeria but were shocked the JTF invaded his house on the 8th April while he was away for his legitimate business.

When he returned and met the his house ransacked and was informed that members of the JTF did the operation and had taken away his wife and children “Mohammed thereafter proceeded to the palace of the Emir of Mubi to report what had happened and also informed him of his intention to go to the military base where his wife and children were being held in detention.” He said.

According to the lawyer to the family of the deceased, he was immediately taken into custody at the military base, “brutally beaten and all pleas by his family members to the military officers fell on deaf ears. Regrettably, on the 11th of April, he was taken a dead man to the mogue at Mubi where it was observed that all of his fingers were pulled out and there were signs of rope impression on his neck signifying that he was hanged to death.”

The stakeholders therefore appealed to the federal government to carry out thorough investigation into the gruesome murder of Mohammed Abdullahi as well as several other extra-judicial killings done by members of the JTF in recent times.

“Our law is no respecter of any person and the Army, who cannot hide under the guise of combating insurgency and terrorist acts to kill innocent members of the public. If the Army has anything against anybody, they ought to have charge them to court where such allegations will be ventilated and culpability or otherwise determined by a court of competent jurisdiction,” he said.