Soldiers allegedly beat Benue Revenue Service Board official

The Board of Internal Revenue Service in Benue State at the weekend narrated how its staff was tortured and beaten to stupor by soldiers of 72 Special Forces Battalion (SFB) Nigeria Army, Makurdi.

Counsel to the revenue board, Mike Utsaha, while addressing newsmen in Makurdi said that a barrier staff of the board identified as Abubu Aondoakaa, was taken away from his duty post and almost tortured to death by some soldiers.

According to the counsel, “Early hours of Monday, March 28, 2022, my attention was drawn to the unnerving fact that soldiers of 72 Special Forces Battalion (SFB) Nigeria Army, Makurdi, launched yet another attack on the hapless and defenceless staff of the BIRS stationed at the Board’s gazetted inspection point in North Bank, Makurdi.

“And in the process, whisked away Abubu Aondoakaa, a Barrier Assistant with BIRS, in a manner reminiscent of the abduction of Late Sixtus Terfa Akure.

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“As you are aware already, the circumstances under which the Late Sixtus was abducted, and his lifeless body found shortly thereafter, is currently the subject of an inquest presided over by Judge VT Kor.”

The counsel who said that he had lodged a formal complaint with the Attorney-General of Benue State Mr Michael Gusa and the Chairman of Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) Makurdi branch, Mr Justin Gbagir lamented that the soldiers subjected Abubu Aondoakaa to acts of torture, inhuman and degrading treatment, which led him been hospitalized at the Teaching Hospital, Makurdi, the staff was thrown into a truck and drove off in gestapo style.

“These rascally soldiers, we are informed, conveyed the victim, first to their Quater Guard at the Barracks, and thereafter had him briefly detained in their Guard Room, where he was further subjected to sundry acts of torture, inhuman and degrading treatment,” the board said.

The counsel regretted that it was the same manner that soldiers from the same battalion allegedly abducted another staff identified as Sixtus Terfa Akure late last year and his corpse was later discovered by the roadside the next morning, adding that the victim is a witness in the ongoing inquest at the Magistrate Court, Makurdi involving the board and soldiers.

Aondoanaa who spoke to newsmen on his hospital bed at State Teaching Hospital, Makurdi said that he only survived by an act of God.

Meanwhile, the General Officer Commanding 72 Special Forces Battalion, Lt. Col. M.A Yusuf, however, promised that he would investigate the assault on Staff members of BIRS.

The commander who spoke with the chairman of the board, Mrs Orubibi, when she met with the military authority to report the continuous assault been melted on the staff by soldiers said that there was zero tolerance for such acts of misconduct by his men and added that though he was newly posted to the command, he assured the board that he would investigate properly.