The Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO) has petitioned the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and Inspector-General of Police in protest over brutality of a man by operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).

A petition made availed to newsmen in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, indicated that the NSCDC personnel beat the victim to coma and took him to a hospital in Yenagoa and subsequently left the hospital with the victim.

The petition filed by some Lawyers under the Rex Ogbuku & Associates and the CLO is urging the Nigerian Police and NHRC to prevail on the NSCDC to produce the brutalised man dead or alive.

The CLO, in the petition signed by its Chairman, Chief Nengi James-Eriworio, accused the NSCDC officials of alleged human rights violation, gross misconduct and abuse of office.

According to the CLO, the initial alarm over the incident was raised by Legal practitioner from the Rex Ogbuku & Associates and other notable activists over the brutalisation and disappearance of the victim.

The petition reads: “We wish to draw the attention of the authorities to the misconduct of officers of the Civil Defence Corps, who beat up a man to the point of death and left in a pool of blood while on duty at Opolo on the 11th of April, 2017.

“Efforts by neighbours and Lawyers at the scene to help the victim were rebuffed by the personnel of the NSCDC.

“When some persons tried to inquire the offence of the half dead victim, they threatened to beat up the people.

“The victim was later taken to unknown destination. The people present at the scene claimed that it was the practice with NSCDC personnel and no consequences had followed their oppressive and outrageous conducts.

“The CLO demand that the Commandant General of the NSCDC should carry out a proper investigation of the matter.

“And the officers involved, if found culpable should be punished in accordance with the constitution and other rules and regulation guiding the NSCDC.

“The CLO wants to know if the man is dead or alive.

“By the provisions of section 36 of the Constitution of Nigeria, the man is presumed innocent, until tried and found guilty by a court of competent jurisdiction.”

CLO further demanded that if the man has committed any crime, he should be taken to Court for trial rather than extra judicial treatment or torture by the officers of the NSCDC.

Medical personnel at the accident unit of the Diette Koki Hospital confirmed that the victim of the alleged brutality was treated briefly at the facility but was rushed out by the accused personnel to avoid being identified by concerned activist and civil society members.

Head of Accident and Emergency Unit, Dr. Obhuo Ranami, said that the patient who was simply identified by the NSCDC officers who brought him to the hospital as ‘NSCDC Suspect’ was treated and withdrawn by the NSCDC on stabilising.

According to Ranami, “On April 11, 2017 at about 12:34 pm, some officers NSCDC brought in an adult male patient, whose name was given by the NSCDC officers as ‘NSCDC suspect’ into the accident and Emergency Unit of our facility.

“One of the NSCDC officers, who claimed to be medical personnel, volunteered the history that the patient had been beaten up by the NSCDC officers after the patient allegedly assaulted one of their armed officers.

“On presentation at the unit, the patient was found to be foaming and bleeding from his mouth.

“At 1.40am same day, the patient regained full consciousness and got up and appeared agitated. He was at that point taken away.”

When contacted, Bayelsa Commandant of NSCDC, Mr. Desmond Agu denied the allegations that the brutalised man was still in NSCDC custody.

“Nothing like that happened, the man left after getting medical attention from hospital, he is a commercial tricycle operator, he carried his Keke and left,” Agu said.

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