Soldiers beat Abuja monarch, family members

Soldiers have reportedly invaded the Tungan-Maje community in the Gwagwalada area council of Abuja, beating up Salihu Aliyu, the Galadima of the community and his family members.

Daily Trust reported that eight people including a 23-year-old student of College of Education (COE) Zuba, Shemau Salihu, alongside the eldest son of Galadima of Tungan-Maje, Abdulrahman Salihu, sustained injuries as a result of the beating.

Recounting their ordeal, Salihu said he was sitting in front of his house alongside his father and some of his friends when soldiers suddenly alighted from a Hilux van and descended on him with a stick.

He said the soldiers divided themselves into groups, adding that while some were maltreating him, others walked into three houses to beat up the occupants.

He said that before the incident, a lady had come with a man and pointed at him saying ‘that is the brother’.

He said he asked the lady what the matter was, and a hot argument later ensued and the two left in annoyance.

The soldiers arrived shortly after.

He added that he had just observed Isha’i prayers when the military men stormed the area.

He said some commercial cyclists, who stopped to watch what was happening, were also assaulted.

“After the beating, the soldiers dragged us, including my father, into their Hilux and drove us to their barracks,” he said.

The Galadima of Tungan-Maje, Salihu Aliyu, who also spoke with our reporter alleged that the soldiers held on to his shirt as he walked out of the mosque.

“I was coming out of the mosque when one of the soldiers grabbed my shirt and started hitting me with stick while some of them were shooting sporadically into the air,” he said.

He said the soldiers later dragged him on the floor into the Hilux van alongside seven others to the barracks in the area.

He said after they were released, he proceeded to a clinic in the community for treatment.

The chief of Tungan-Maje, Alhaji Salihu Isiaku Na’ Annabi, confirmed the incident, saying he was at his palace when some of his subjects came to him to say soldiers had beaten up Galadima and some others.

“And what I did quickly was to put a call across to the Agora of Zuba, even though I couldn’t get him on phone but I got the Makama Karmi to alert him about the incident in my domain,” he said.

The monarch said though one of his sons later contacted the commander of the barracks at Tungan-Maje to report the incident.

He said the commander later appealed to him and promised that he would investigate the matter.

The vice-chairman of Gwagwalada area council, Alhaji Mohammed Kasim Ikwa, confirmed the incident, saying he visited the community immediately he received information about the incident.

“In fact, I was in Tungan-Maje this morning when they called me that some soldiers invaded three houses and beat up some residents.”

The vice-chairman, while condemning the incident, said he had placed a call to the FCT police commissioner, CP Sunday Babaji, to inform him about the incident.

“Even when I enquired, I learnt that when some people have a disagreement with someone, the next thing such person will do is to go and invite soldiers to molest people,” he said.

Efforts to get the reaction of the Army commander of Tungan-Maje base, were not successful.