“THEY DRAGGED ME DOWN FROM THE STAIRS, STRIPPED ME NAKED AND GAVE ME THE BEATING OF MY LIFE”: MR. AREMU SEGUN KUTI, ABUJA BUSINESSMAN NARRATES HOW NIGERIAN ARMY OFFICERS BRUTALLY ASSAULTED HIM ON BEHALF OF THEIR CIVILIAN FRIENDS.

Posted on April 22, 2014

Max lerner once said: “We can not live by power, and a culture that seeks to live by it becomes brutal and sterile”. Professor Chinua Achebe once told an audience in America that “Nigeria is an example of a power-driven system. The common man on the street wants to display his superioty to another fellow. The military looks for any opportunity to remind the civilian who they should be protecting that they have some ‘brutal’ powers. The only people who are not caught in the web of this power-show is the power sector of Nigeria. They have chosen to remain humble.” Mr. Aremu Segun Kuti is the latest victim of military brutallity in Abuja and here is his ‘unedited’ story:

“At about 1.46pm on Monday 21st April , 2014, while driving in my car in company of my wife’s friend to a meeting suddenly I heard a hit behind on my car FORD ESCAPE 2013/2014 Edition. Lo and behold it was one young man by name Efiom E Okokon who claims he works with NNPC headquarters in Abuja driving in his Toyota Camry with a lady in the car. He first admitted to fix my car by calling his Panel Beater but my own car is a Brand New SUV which is being handled by COSCHARIS MOTORS. I called Coscharis Motors but was asked to bring the car to their office on Tuesday 22nd April, 2014.

I then asked the young man to write an undertaken admitting in principle to be liable and responsible but amazingly, he refused. I
because uncomfortable with his disposition and he noticed. Then as God would work in my Favour, he willingly gave me his staff ID Card. I got hold of the card while we both gentlemanly, agreed for him to fix the car. We drove out of the scene of the auto-crash. Unknowingly to me as we’re driving towards A.Y.A in Asokoro, he had invited two of his friends or brothers to join him in assaulting me so as to intimidate me. On getting to A.Y.A junction, I stopped for us to discuss based on the agreement on how to settle amicably but here he demanded for his ID Card which I did not oblige him. I instead gave him a condition to write and sign an undertaken so I could return his ID Card to him. Then he was out for trouble.
The meeting I was supposed to have at Kubwa was scheduled for 2pm. Therefore, I pleaded with him to follow me to the meeting because some dignitaries were waiting for. I got to the meeting venue. The young man Efiom would not alight from his car but his two
military friends came down from his car and accosted me. I asked them to give me a minute to address those waiting for me. I was moving and suddenly on the staircase to the meeting, they dragged me downwards the staircase, tore my new lace (traditional dress)
bought by my wife for the Easter celebration and gave me thorough beaten.
At this juncture, I didn’t know they were military personnel. Immediately, my wife’s friend in my car ran to invite Policemen nearby to rescue my life and before long people gathered and then Policemen came. It took Police several couple of minutes to calm them down. They were bragging, insulting, cursing and molesting my personality for doing nothing. I suffered not just physical injuries but also psychological injuries.
They wouldn’t obey the Police to be taken to the Police Station whereas I quickly drove in my car with a Police Inspector to lay complaint.The two young military personnel one by name flight officer FEMI ADEMULEGUN and the other Lieutenant Efiom or so called other military colleagues one of them is Lieutenant SIMPA of the Nigerian Army. Although, SIMPA first came to plead and at the same time harassing me telling me there is morning I could do and I should go anywhere I wanted to.”

Africa Thisday is in touch with Mr. Aremu Segun Kuti. A South African based vibrant gospel preacher and a social activist, Evangelist
Charles Awuzie told Africa Thisday: “It is high time that Africa confronted military and police brutallity with justice. I will stand beside the
oppressed and the suppressed until their trampled fundamental human rights are restored. I urge every African to seek for justice
whenever their fundamental human rights are abused or raped. I seek for the repair of Mr. Aremu’s car, his health to be taken care of and that the military officers involved in the assault should be brought to book. No man is above the law. No more in Africa will it be heard that injustice is greeted with timidity. No more!”