A legal practitioner has asked the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Waidi Shaibu, to investigate the alleged assault of a property estate manager by three persons, including two uniformed armed men reportedly linked to the Nigerian Army, in Nasarawa State.
The lawyer, Mr B.C. Yerima of K.J. Ntafa & Co., made the request in a petition dated Sept. 28 and addressed to the Chief of Army Staff through the Department of Civil-Military Affairs at Army Headquarters, Abuja.
The petition alleged that the incident occurred on Sept. 26 at a construction site belonging to Unique Solar Garden Estate in the Karu Local Government Area of Nasarawa State.
According to the petition, the estate manager, Mohammed Ibrahim, was supervising construction work when three men allegedly arrived at the site, two in military uniform and armed, while the third, identified only as “Alhaji”, was in civilian clothes.
Yerima alleged that the men began demolishing parts of the building under construction, prompting a security operative to alert Ibrahim, who subsequently arrived at the site.
The lawyer said Ibrahim attempted to engage the men but was allegedly ignored, prompting him to record the incident with his mobile phone.
He alleged that the men subsequently attacked Ibrahim, beating him with their rifles and concrete blocks, while workers and security personnel who attempted to intervene were also assaulted and threatened.
The petition further alleged that one of the armed men pointed a cocked rifle at Ibrahim’s head and threatened to kill him during the confrontation.
It said a worker who escaped from the scene contacted the police, leading to the deployment of personnel from Vintage Police Division to the site.
According to the lawyer, the police eventually rescued Ibrahim despite alleged resistance and threats from the armed men and arranged for him to receive medical attention.
The petition stated that Ibrahim was taken to Kunkyam Hospital in Karu, where he was referred for an X-ray and general medical examination.
Yerima further alleged that the men were deployed to the residence of retired Maj.-Gen. John Nwaogu in the Shebwokpma community, near the College of Education in Karu.
He said his client maintained that construction had been ongoing on the property for months without obstruction and that he was unaware of any pending court case or formal dispute over ownership of the land.
The lawyer described the alleged conduct as unlawful and urged the Army authorities to investigate the incident, identify those involved and take appropriate action if the allegations were established.
He also cautioned against the alleged use of military uniforms and weapons to intimidate civilians, stressing that disputes over land should be resolved through lawful procedures rather than self-help.
However, the allegations contained in the petition have not been independently verified, and the account represents the position of the complainant as presented by his lawyer.
