Missing General: Wife appeals to Buratai for release of her husband

AS the military continue to beam their searchlight in community where the missing car of a retired Army General, Major General Idris Alkali was found in a pond with aim to recover his body, a housewife, Mrs Julcit Brade has made passionate appeal to the Chief of Army Staff, General Tukur Buratai for the release of her husband Mr Nanset Paul Barde who has been in military detention for over one week.

Addressing newsmen in Jos on Monday, Mrs Barde said based on the request of the military, her husband gave out his property near the pond where the military was evacuating water to the military to aid their operations.

“ One Major had approached my husband to give out our property that is near the pond for military operations so that while they are carried out their operations they could stay there. Since we are not yet occupying the property, my husband obliged them, and the soldiers occupied it.

“But as they evacuated the water from the pond they flooded the building environment with it so much water that a part of the structure collapsed. This prompted my husband to approach the military for compensation.”

She said on approaching the major in charge for compensation or repair of his building her husband was arrested on the ground that he must have known something about the missing general and claimed that he was arrested to help them in the course of their investigation.

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“Since his arrest, I have not seen my husband for over a week, his phones have been switched-off and possibly seized from him. I have not had access to my husband since then. My children cry every day asking for their father; I have had sleepless nights thinking of the whereabouts of my husband and what must be happening to him.”

She called on President Mohammadu Buhari, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt General Tukur Buratai and the general public to intervene for the unconditional release of her husband, querying if it was a crime for her husband to render a help to the Nigerian Army. “As I speak, they are still occupying our property.”

Also speaking, Mr Barde’s Lawyer, Barrister Andrew Joshua lamented his incarceration for over a week without a charge, describing it as unlawful. He said “I want to believe that General Buratai is not aware that my client is unlawfully being detained. But I use this medium to call on him to order his release.”

Meanwhile, a Human Right Activist, Mr Gad Shamaki has called on all well-meaning voices in Nigeria to arise over the injustice done to Barde’s family and other families in a similar fate.

In his reaction, the Deputy Army Public Relations, 3rd Armored Division Colonel Kayode Ogunsanya said Mr Barde was arrested for his action or inaction to disclose atrocities going on near his property.

“It is true that he gave us a property free to be used but due to heavy water being pumped out of the pond, it affected part of the building, and some shops collapsed. The husband is with us but he was arrested because he did not disclose atrocity being carried out by some boys near the pond close to his property, he was arrested for his action or inaction” he said.