Human Rights Group Calls For Probe Of NDLEA Over Abuse, Attempted Rape

A human rights organisation in Bauchi, Council for Affirmative Action has demanded that the Bauchi State Command of the National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) initiate an investigation into the agency over alleged gross human rights violation and attempted rape.

The group also intends to find out whether the perpetrators' actions were conducted with the consent of the command.

It disclosed that if it fails to hear from the command within five working days of the receipt of a petition it filed, it would go to court demanding an order of mandamus compelling the command to do the needful.

Mbami Iliya Sabka, a human rights defender stated in the petition: "The facts are that Mr Auwal Abdullahi, 30 years old, male, Muslim, businessman (Butcher) and resident of Wuntin Dada, Bauchi Local Government Area, Bauchi State herein refers as the petitioner.

“That on the 18th day of October 2022 at about 7: 30 pm or thereabouts, when the petitioner was at his business place in Wuntin Dada market, he saw three men who were on mufti without any form of identity, beating one Aminu Aminu Alkali whose father was a Magistrate Judge.

“The petitioner and other people got to intervene seeing the gross human right violation by your men who appeared without any official dress for identification as law enforcement agents.

“That your men let Aminu Aminu Alkali go and they started beating the petitioner to the extent they tore his clothes, the reason being that he interrogated them for their identity if truly they are law enforcement officers.

“That after the incident, the petitioner went back home to change, on coming back to his business place in the Market square, he came across one among the persons that beat him and the community leaders insisted that the officer must identify himself considering the trend of insecurity in the country.

"The officer identified himself and the petitioner got to know that they were men of the National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).

“That at about 12:00hours on the 18th day of October 2022, the same group of people on mufti raided the house of the petitioner and searched every person in the process.

"That one among the officers entered the petitioner’s bedroom and met one Aisha Auwal, grabbed, hugged her and in the process, he dragged her and Aisha shouted for help, his phone fell down and he picked the phone and fortunately he left the memory card inside the bedroom and they all ran away.

“The next day, the petitioner and eyewitness went to report the matter to the village head of Wuntin Dada and showed him the memory card as an exhibit which contains pictures of some among the officers that entered the house of the petitioner without a search warrant.”