A civil rights organization in Bauchi State, Prison Inmates Development Initiative (PIDI-Nigeria), has petitioned the state police command over alleged human rights violation by the Rapid Response Squad (RRS), led by Superintendent of Police Baba Yola while enforcing the partial lockdown in the state.
The executive director of the group, Mr. Iliya Sabka, in the petition, a copy of which was made available to DAILY POST, alleged that on 4th May 2020 at about 8:00pm, the Baba Yola-led Squad stormed Wuntin Dada community in Bauchi, the state capital and arrested 40 petty traders for allegedly still operating their shops at night despite the curfew imposed by the government to contain the spread of coronavirus,
He alleged that the traders were arrested at the market square while trying to lock their shops at 8 pm when the curfew commenced.
He further alleged that the shop owners were harassed and beaten by operatives of the special squad before they were taken away in RRS vehicles.
“After making the arrest, they conveyed the victims in about 5 Police Hilux trucks and took them to Yelwa Divisional Police Office. Thereafter, they compiled the names of all arrested persons and detained them in a police cell. The victims agitated that the police should allow them to stay at the premises of the police station to maintain social distance but the policemen disagreed with their plea.
“They said that they have the instruction of the commissioner of police that the 40 persons arrested must be detained in one cell.
“However, we were informed that there were already about 15 persons in the cell apart from the 40 persons and that one of the detainees was suspected to have been infected with COVID-19 virus because he was coughing and complaining of headache throughout the night in the cell,” the group stated in the petition.
The rights activist further alleged that on the 5th of May, 2020 when parents of the detainees and the group’s representatives went to the police station and demanded their bail, they were asked to pay various sums of money ranging from ₦5,000 to N25,000 before they could be granted bail.
The group alleged that SP Baba Yola has been carrying out illegal arrests and detention of innocent citizens contrary to the executive order as made by the state governor.
It, therefore, urged the commissioner of police to immediately call the said SP Baba Yola to order.