A civil rights advocacy group, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), has urged the Inspector General of Police, Alhaji Usman Alkali Baba, to cause an investigation into the alleged physical torture of the driver of the Minister of State for Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr. Idoko, by an unruly mob watched by armed policemen at the National Secretariat of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Abuja last Thursday.

HURIWA ask the IGP to direct the FCT Police Commissioner, Mr. Babaji Sunday, “to institute a transparent and unbiased investigation of remote and immediate circumstances surrounding the alleged physical torture of Mr. Idoko, said to have been watched by armed Policemen

HURIWA, in a statement by its National Coordinator, Comrade Emma Onwubiko, also expressed shock that the Minister of State for FCT whose driver was brutalised and had to be rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment,was being dragged to a phantom incident that a section of the media misrepresented as an assault on some media practitioners without making reference to the wanton violations of the constitutionally protected human rights of the Driver to the Minister who could have been killed in the presence of many Police operatives who are now cooking up a different tales by moonlight to deflate the severity of their crime against Mr Idoko.

The group said it believed that the Commissioner of Police in the FCT may have been told varied but fake versions “by the Police operatives responsible for the severe physical brutality meted out on the driver of the Minister of State for FCT because signal reaching our desk is of the view that the FCT Police hierarchy may have taken sides with their operatives who committed these horrendous and despicable crime of human rights violations on this poor Nigerian and if the office of the IGP is not informed of this primitive act of injustice and brutality on a Nigerian citizen, then there would be no possible redress and punishment for the offending Police operatives who are now twisting the narratives against the victim of their spectacular human rights abuse,” promising to take up the matter to ensure that justice was done.

The Civil Rights body said her attention was called to “this brazen criminal act of deprivation of the fundamental human rights of Mr. Idoko” by some media workers affiliated to the organization.

“The incident happened on the 18th of August, 2022, at the APC National party secretariat where Her Excellency, the Minister of State, FCT, Hajia Ramatu Tijni Aliyu, was present as she was part of the committee that was inaugurated for North-West support for Tinubu.

“Outside the event venue, it was reported that one of Her Excellency 's drivers was being beaten up and in a pool of his blood with Police officers and other civilians being present, the driver was accused wrongly and criminally of being a thief. He was rescued and rushed to the hospital for medical attention after the mob was duly informed that the driver is not a thief, rather he is a driver of Her Excellency.

“The Police officers and the CSO attached to the Party Secretariat who were assaulting him alleged that the driver assaulted them, which was not the case as the driver was rather being assaulted by them to the point of injuries,” part of HURIWA’s statement read.

The group is accusing the APC secretariat Security Chief of overzealousness, alleging that he did not exercise his powers judiciously and in civility but instigated allegedly, the physical torture of Mr. Idoko whose human rights to the dignity of his person, his rights to liberty and his right to life enshrined in chapter 4 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as amended, “was almost threatened even as he suffered spectacular physical bruises and psychological and emotional trauma.”

HURIWA, therefore, called on the National Human Rights Commission to investigate the incident and urged the IGP to ensure that the Police operatives who took part passively or actively in the act of violence were brought to book.

“We in HURIWA are happy to observed that under newly passed and signed a revelation the Act, that the ambit of the Force operations has been broadened to facilitate the achievement of its general objective which is to provide an effective police service that complies with the principles of accountability, transparency, protection of human rights and freedom,” the rights group said.

HURIWA said it is so far satisfied with the newly found optimism on the part of the IGP to instill professional excellence in the Nigerian Police, adding that it has no doubt that the IGP would bring to book, all those involved the physical assault of Mr. Idoko.

However, the group said it was considering petitioning the National Assembly on the matter for proper redress.

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