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The International Press Centre (IPC) has called on the military authorities to act with civility in their search for the missing retired Major General, Idris Alkali.
This follows a “brutal” military operation in Dura-Du in Jos South Local Government Area (LGA) of Plateau State in the efforts to unravel the circumstances surrounding the missing of Major General Alkali (rtd),
IPC described the activity of the military as the “arbitrary arrests of citizens,” which it said included that of the Plateau State Correspondent of Punch Newspaper, Mr. Paul Barde.
Barde was harassed and incarcerated in military custody for about 28 hours,according to the Lagos based IPC.
This Day newspaper had reported that Mr. Barde came back Sunday night after spending about 28 hours behind bars after he and other Jos residents were rounded up by the military where he was having a meal.
The IPC said the media report on infringement of human rights of the citizens has become unpleasant after the former Chief of Administration in Nigerian Army, General Alkali (rtd), was declared missing in questionable circumstances.
Narrating his ordeal,Barde said: “On Saturday October 6, 2018, I went to the UBA ATM and did cash transaction and decided to buy Irish potatoes and eggs at the popular ANNE BREEZE RESTAURANT in Rayfield area of Jos. The waiters have not brought my food when soldiers in two lorry trucks (about 30 of them), all masked and armed, swooped on the place, shot indiscriminately at sight and arrested every human being they sighted.”
The Director of IPC, Mr. Lanre Arogundade, reacting to this act said that, the harassment and illegal detention of Mr. Barde and other members of the public was a gross violation of their fundamental human rights.
“We expect the Army to use their intelligence to carry out their investigation professionally without having to intimidate members of the public or impede on their fundamental human rights. It is disturbing that innocent people are not spared by the cruel method they have adopted in search for the missing General,” Arogundade said.
