Agony on the Plateau

The whereabouts of some missing youths who constituted themselves into vigilante group to check the growing insecurity in and around Plateau, has again raised the fundamental question of the professionalism and  thoroughness of security agents in separating criminals from innocent citizens in complex security situation

By Joshua Shagaya

For five months now, anguish, sorrow and nightmare seem to have become constant companions of three Plateau women whose husbands were allegedly arrested and tortured by men of the Operation Safe Haven, the Special Military Task Force (STF) in charge of internal security in Plateau and neighbouring states, for trying to render assistance to victims of herdsmen attack.

The men, Elisha Yakubu, 47, Dadung Joshua Bajah, 27, and Bot Bulus, 24, were among 17 members of vigilance group alerted over an ambush laid against two motorcyclists by suspected herdsmen. While one of the victims was shot dead, the other narrowly escaped before raising the alarm that attracted the vigilantes to rush to the scene to render help. But by the time Elisha, Dadung,  Bulus  and 14 others arrived they found men of the Operation Safe Haven who were also informed about the attack already on ground.

According to sources, there was a heated argument between the two groups as members of the vigilance group tried to explain to the military men what brought them to the area. But all their explanations fell on deaf ear. They were promptly framed as armed robbers, rounded up by the soldiers and taken away for interrogation. The incident brought sorrow and pains to the entire Kwi community who felt sad over the arrest of the vibrant youths who have been protecting and shielding the community from herdsmen attacks.

It was alleged that they were beaten, tortured and humiliated while being taken to the headquarters of Operation Safe Haven in Jos. Elisha, leader of the group, Dadung and Bulus were said to be badly injured as they were inflicted with gunshot wounds on their legs, a source said.  Few days after the community succeeded in proving that the alleged armed robbery suspects are innocent of the accusation, 14 of them were released from military custody, with the exception of  Elisha, Dadung and Bulus, now feared dead.

At first, the military argued that only 14 persons were arrested but those who regained their freedom confirmed that they were 17 in number and that the remaining three were badly injured. One of the members who agreed to speak on the condition of anonymity confirmed that after 14 of them were dropped on that fateful day, they were informed that the remaining three persons who sustained serious injuries would be taken to hospital for treatment. Since then, Elisha, Dadung and Bulus have not been found either dead or alive. And, this state of uncertainty has raised no small concern in their community. To find out what happened to them, men of worth and means from the community have been frequenting the headquarters of the Operation Safe Haven, to request for their release but to no avail.

The turmoil created by the men’s unknown fate left their wives and other community members in deep anguish. Relatives of the three men are the worst hit. For instance, 38-year-old Martha Elisha, wife of Elisha Yakubu, is seriously worried that she is being kept in the dark concerning the actual state of her husband. The mother of six girls told OpenLife   that she has been finding it difficult to sleep. She complained of having nightmares since her husband left home five months ago and added that if he has been killed, she would like to be given his body so that they can give it a decent burial.

Recalling the last conversation she had with him, she said: “It was on Sunday, April 21, 2019, at about 8 pm. I called my husband to know where he was and he told me that they were called and asked to go to the forest to help some people who were attacked. When he got to the scene, he called to inform me that one person was killed while another escaped. As they were trying to rescue the survivor, the military arrived and accused them of being armed robbers and arrested them. I was calling him on the phone to know what was happening and how they were doing but he did not pick my call. Since then I have not seen him and I don’t know his whereabouts. Nobody has told me where he is; nobody has given me the true information about his state, as to whether he is alive or dead. We have not seen his body and we don’t know where he is but some people said that they were arrested by the military but others have returned home and I have not seen my husband.”

Highlighting the agony and anguish this development has brought upon her and her children, she said: “Nobody should play over my head because I don’t have a job to take care of the six children I have. It has become difficult for me to eat in the past five months that he has not been seen. My children’s education has been stopped because I can’t pay. I begged the school management to allow two of them to write their examination after borrowing money to pay for their promotion examination with the hope that their father will come home soon. Two of the children are in JSS 3 at BECO Comprehensive High School while four others will soon complete their secondary school education and I don’t have money to cater for the family.”

From talking about her ordeal as a housewife taking care of six children all alone, she launched into plea for the release of her husband, dead or alive. “I know that 17 of them were arrested and 14 have been released and they are at home but I didn’t see my husband,” she said for the umpteenth time. “I want to know where he is; if they have killed him, they should bring the corpse to me for burial. If he is locked up somewhere, I am begging government to intervene and release my husband to enable him to return home. I have gone from one place to another, asking people but help has not come my way. I want government to intervene urgently and end the sad story.”

The story of 18-year-old NzemDadung-Joshua, pregnant wife of 27-year-old Dadung Joshua Baja, is not in any way different from that of Martha, the age gap notwithstanding.  Like Martha, she too has her tales of woe to relate about how her husband left home that fateful day and has not been seen five months after.

Nzem, a mother of one said she was at home that night with her husband when the call came for him to join other colleagues to render help to victims of herdsmen ambush. “When they called him that night, he reluctantly went out but he couldn’t come back home,” she recalled with some emotional pains.

 “I tried his line severally but it wasn’t going through. I couldn’t sleep that night. I was praying that nothing should happen to my husband. The following morning, I heard that 17 of them were arrested by the military. The community members and leaders went to the headquarters to beg and to inform them that they were not armed robbers . After several pleas, 14 of them were released and when we asked about the three which include my husband, they said they were taken to a hospital for treatment. But before then, the army had argued that they arrested 14 members of the vigilante but those who were released said 17 persons were arrested. “I asked them about my husband and nobody could tell me his whereabouts. Another person told me that he was injured and the military took him to the hospital for treatment but they couldn’t meet again before they were released. I learnt he was shot and sustained injuries but when I asked for the name of the hospital where he was taken to, nobody could tell me the specific hospital. The military men that arrested them had shot him.”

Her narration turned to plea. “I have one child and I am pregnant. I don’t have anybody to help me. I am begging to eat with my son. Sometimes, my brothers bring food for us to eat but for how long will they continue to do this? I want my husband back home; he should be released just like his friends have been released. I want him back home alive. I don’t want to hear that he is dead. The military which arrested him should produce him alive, that is what I want for now. I want my husband alive.” Re-echoing the sad tale of Martha and Nzem, Peace Bulus, 19-year-old pregnant wife of Bot Bulus also called for the release of her husband, alive or dead.

 In a chat with OpenLife, the mother of one lamented: “It is a sad story for me to be searching for my husband today. He left home peacefully but since then he has not returned. They went to save some people who were under attack but unfortunately, they were turned into victims.” Then she added: “I have been carrying a pregnancy and taking care of the other baby. To eat is a very serious problem. I can’t bear this burden. Government should intervene and end our anxiety on this matter.”

As OpenLife  found out, the community shares the concern and anxiety of the three women. Everyone––women, aged and young appealed for help and intervention of the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Yusuf Buratai in unravelling the mysterious disappearance of their sons. Efforts to get the Operation Safe Haven side of the story were unsuccessful; calls to the phone line of the unit’s spokesperson, Major ShittuAdebanjo, were neither picked nor returned. Similarly, text messages sent to his line got no response.