Normal
0
false
false
false
EN-US
X-NONE
X-NONE
MicrosoftInternetExplorer4
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:”Table Normal”;
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:””;
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin-top:0in;
mso-para-margin-right:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt;
mso-para-margin-left:0in;
line-height:115%;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:”Calibri”,”sans-serif”;
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:”Times New Roman”;
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}
A widow, Hope Ayuba, has instituted a suit
against the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Yayale Ahmed;
the Chief of Defence Staff, Oluseyi Petirin; the Chief of Army Staff,
Abdulrahman Bello Dambazau and the Attorney General of the Federation, Mohammed
Adoke before an Abuja High Court over the abduction of her elder brother,
Vincent Bulus and his driver, Danjuma Daji, on an Abuja street.
Ms Ayuba, in the suit, said her brother, a
businessman and politician from Plateau State, told her that he collected some
money from Mr Ahmed to fund his political ambition. She said instead of being
arrested by the police and charged to court, he was abducted and because of his
incarceration, she could not get details from him.
She asked the court for the enforcement of the
fundamental human rights of Mr Bulus and his driver, who have been in detention
for over 100 days.
Ms Ayuba, in the affidavit filed in support of
the application for an order for the enforcement of the fundamental rights of
her brother and his driver, claimed “Vincent Bulus informed me through his cell
phone on the 28th January 2011 at about 2:40pm that he was arrested by men of
Directorate of Military Intelligence on the order of Yayale Ahmed alongside his
driver, and his Toyota Jeep (Limited) was impounded as well”.
Ms Ayuba averred that her brother told her “his
detainers promised him a hard time if he does not confess to allegation made
against him. Several visits to the detention center by Mrs Bulus (the wife of
the detained man who lives in Jos and other members of the family were
rebuffed”.
Ms Ayuba said she was worried because Mr Bulus is
hypertensive and is being denied his drugs.
“When we took his prescribed drugs to him, his
detainers refused to accept them from us,” she said.
She also alleged that an attempt by the counsel
procured by the family to have access to him was unsuccessful.
In the suit, number M/5177/11, the lawyer to Ms
Ayuba raised several questions which he asked the court to determine. These
included:
“Whether the applicants have established a case
of breach of their fundamental human right”,
“Whether the applicants are entitled to the
relief claimed by them against the respondents for the breach of their
fundamental human right”, and
“Whether, in view of the obnoxious, crude and
damnable conduct of agents/officers of the security operatives on the
instruction of Yayale Ahmed, which resulted in the use of arbitrary powers via
the “Gestapo style” to arrest and incarcerate Vincent Bulus and his driver
since January 28,2011.”
Attempts to speak with Mr Ahmed were unsuccessful
and phone calls to him were unanswered. His spokesperson, Salisu Naina, in a
telephone interview, neither denied nor acknowledged the case.
“You cannot expect me to answer such enquiry,
please. I will advise you go to DMI,” he said.
Charged
While NEXT investigation into the case was going on, Mr Bulus
was charged before an Abuja court on 12 May, 2011. The prosecution told the
court that Mr Bulus and his driver were being detained on the strength of
information that they were aware of the sources of weapons used during the last
violence in Jos, Plateau State.
The family members denied this, saying their brother is being
unlawfully detained for a business deal of about ?6m with Mr Ahmed.
In the counter affidavit filed brought before the
high court which is presided over by Ugochuckwu Ogakwu, a copy of which is in
NEXT’s possession, the prosecution said Vincent and his driver were arrested in
Asokoro in late March, 2011.
Hearing on the case is scheduled for tomorrow, May 17, 2011.
