Army General spurns court order, victim’s family urges Buratai to intervene

The Commander of the Special Task Force, otherwise known as Operations Safe Haven, in Plateau State, Major General Tagbo Ude, has been accused of engaging in human rights violation.
The family members of Anas Idris are alleging that operatives of the Special Task Force overseeing security in Plateau State blatantly abused the fundamental rights of their relation by unduly keeping him in their custody for a long time without charging him to court for trial.
Disturbed by this, the family members have petitioned the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai.
They said operatives of the STF conducted a search in the apartment of Idris but found nothing incriminating.
In a petition dated December 21, 2015 written through their counsel, Akiu Idris, the family of the victim drew the attention of Buratai to the alleged violation of Idris’s rights.
They said Ude even spurned the order of a High Court sitting in Jos, the Plateau State capital, that directed his release.
The court, in suit number PLD/J32OM2/15, had ordered: “That leave is granted for the respondent to release or order to be released on bail of the applicant forthwith from detention forthwith.”
It further ordered that the respondent is “refrained from taking any further steps in connection with the matter or maintaining status quo or staying all actions pending the determination of substantive application.
“The return date for hearing of the suit shall be the 20th January, 2016.”
According to the counsel of the plaintiff, Idris did not commit any offence that could warrant his unlawful detention, more so that men of the STF/OPSH did not find anything incriminating with him or in his apartment.
The family, in the petition, solicited for the intervention of Buratia.
They want him to direct Ude to comply with the court order.
“We also passionately appeal to you to kindly use your good offices to conduct comprehensive investigation” into the matter and “to punish whoever that orchestrated the illegal arrest, continued detention or our client and flagrant disobedience to the order of a competent court of law.”
When The Eagle Online contacted the spokespersons of the OPSH, he said: “I will call to tell you something about the issue when I am back in the office.”
The spokesman did not until press time.