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Not Quite Esprit-de-Corps? Soldiers Detain And Torture Police Officers For Refusing To Put On Army Uniform

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Ten Police officers attached to the Anti-Terrorism unit of Nigeria army peacekeeping operation base in Abuja, are currentl detained at a military barrack in Gwagwalada, Abuja,

Premium Times reports that, the 10 police officers have been unlawfully detained since Tuesday, without food and medical care for refusing to wear military fatigues for an operation, they feared could be illegal.

According to the detainees, they are being locked on the instruction of a Colonel Kalejaye, head of the army forward operation base, because they refused his directive to “impersonate” soldiers by wearing their uniforms for a training in Kaduna State.

Some of the detainees told revealed that the Colonel wanted to send them for training at War College, Jaji, Kaduna State, without the knowledge of the Nigeria police authority that deployed them in the first instance.

One of the policemen said he and his colleagues were kept in a cell without food or water for three days, and that they were denied health care.

“We told them that as policemen, we are not entitled to wear military uniforms, unless, we need a corporate signal from our IGP or our authority at force headquarters, that will enable us to go for the operation,” he said.

“Even as I’m talking to you, our luggages are in Jaji now, so we told the Colonel that, as a policeman, we have our own law, you have your law, and we cannot do anything without signal.”

The source said after their complaint, the colonel gave an order that they be moved to the police headquarters in Abuja.

Midway, they were instead taken to an army barrack in Gwagwalada, called Special Force barrack, 172 battalion.

“From there, they now moved us to Gwagwalada in one bush, and the barrack is under construction. So when we got there, we said we are not entering into this cell except a senior police officer is here with a detention order.

“Before we knew it, they mobilized more troops about 50, with arms, and started molesting us, beating us, to the extent that some of our men were wounded, some complained that they have ulcer, they did not answer. They just packed all of us inside the cell, no toilet, no food, where we are sleeping is where we pee,” he revealed.

Indications suggest that the police officers were part of the team sent to Russia for counter terrorism training.

Since their return December 2014, they had been camped at the UN peace-keeping camp in Abuja, before they were given instructions to dress as soldiers for a training.

The officers were nominated by the National Security Adviser’s office for the Russian course. The latest returnees were the third batch, numbering between 45 or 46.

Only 10 were asked to wear uniforms. The exact details of the training or assignment in Jaji, is yet to be ascertained.

Pressed on the nature of assignment they were instructed by the army to go for, the police officers, who spoke to Premium Times, said. “Because we don’t know that is why we insist(ed) that the police authority must be aware before we proceed for any movement or put on military uniform because we believe that wearing army uniform without approval is tantamount to impersonation, illegal and unconstitutional,” he said.

Upon enquiry, Police spokesperson, Emmanuel Ojukwu, confirmed that the police were aware of the matter and were investigating it.

“We are aware and we are looking into it, that’s all I can say,” Mr Ojukwu said on the phone, before abruptly ending the call.

Efforts to reach a spokesperson from the Nigerian Army has been unproductive, as no confirmation of the incident has been made by the Defence Headquarters.

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