Family expresses fear over life of 52-year-old Oyo farmer in Army detention

Akeugberu family from Oyo town, Oyo State on Wednesday said they are afraid for the life of a 52-year-old member of the family, Alhaji Azeez Morufu Akintunde, who was whisked away two weeks ago from his residence by about 40 soldiers for reasons yet unknown.

The head of the family, Sheikh Taofeek Akeugbagold who addressed a press conference in Ibadan the Oyo State capital said about 40 soldiers stormed their family house in Oyo with the vehicles of Oyo State security outfit codenamed Operation Burst and took him away to an unknown destination.

According to him, the phone number of one of the soldiers dropped for contact tracing has since ceased to connect since the man was taken away.

Akeugbagold noted that the family had got wind that the man had been held in incommunicado at the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), Abuja, saying today made it 15days he was taken away.

“I am here today to appeal to the Nigerian military to release my brother. He was arrested in our family house in Oyo town on the 18th of this month and is yet to be released. This is the man that never had a criminal case before. I usually send money to him for upkeep.

“The military men came with vehicles of Operation Burst. His son followed him to the operation burst office in Oyo but we heard he had been taken to Abuja for no reason. I am appealing on behalf of the family to them to release my brother if they had done their investigation and he knows nothing about the reason he was arrested.

“He has a 95-year-old mother who has been in a coma since the day he was arrested. Governor Makinde and the Nigeria Army should kindly help us to intervene and release my brother.”

When contacted, the Administration Officer of Operation Burst, Abubakar Aminu confirmed the arrest, saying; “it was from Abuja.”

“I am aware of the arrest but it is from Abuja. The family had contacted me and I told them it is beyond us. We received a signal to support them with logistics and that was why we release our vehicles to carry out the operation.”

YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THESE HEADLINES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE

We Have Not Had Water Supply In Months ― Abeokuta Residents

In spite of the huge investment in the water sector by the government and international organisations, water scarcity has grown to become a perennial nightmare for residents of Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital. This report x-rays the lives and experiences of residents in getting clean, potable and affordable water amidst the surge of COVID-19 cases in the state…Family expresses fear  Family expresses fear

Selfies, video calls and Chinese documentaries: The things you’ll meet onboard Lagos-Ibadan train

The Lagos-Ibadan railway was inaugurated recently for a full paid operation by the Nigerian Railway Corporation after about a year of free test-run. Our reporter joined the train to and fro Lagos from Ibadan and tells his experience in this report…Family expresses fear  Family expresses fear