CDS orders probe of maltreatment of bandits by troops

The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Gen. Abayomi Olonisakin, has ordered a probe of the alleged maltreatment of kidnappers and bandits arrested by troops on the Kaduna-Abuja highway, the Defence headquarters (DHQ) said yesterday.

It condemned a trending social media video where troops allegedly tied one of the suspects to a stake.

In a statement by its spokesman Col. Onyema Nwachukwu, the DHQ described the conduct of the troops as unprofessional and against rules of engagement.

It promised that sanctions would be meted out to the troops, if found guilty.

The statement said: “The attention of the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has been drawn to a video footage trending in the social media, visually displaying the maltreatment of some suspected armed bandits and kidnappers who were arrested on Road Abuja-Kaduna during a recent operation.

“Apparently, the troops had, in their overzealousness, tied one of the suspects to a stake in a desperate attempt to extract information from him.

“The DHQ wishes to unambiguously state that the act exhibited by the troops in the video footage is very unprofessional and an outright violation of the code of conduct handed down to guide the conduct and behaviour of troops of the AFN during operations.

“The DHQ, therefore, in very strong terms, condemns this act of ineptitude and exhibition of lawlessness.

“The DHQ considers the conduct of the troops highly regrettable. In order to promptly address the anomaly, the Chief of Defence Staff has ordered a thorough investigation into the incident to bring to book all those found culpable, in accordance with the military justice system.

“We seize this opportunity to urge members of the public to please report any such misdemeanour to security agencies whenever they are observed.”