EXCLUSIVE: Army Corporal Tells Court How He Was Blindfolded, Detained In Abuja, Pressured To Implicate Warrant Officer Nasiru In Coup Plot
EXCLUSIVE: Army Corporal Tells Court How He Was Blindfolded, Detained In Abuja, Pressured To Implicate Warrant Officer Nasiru In Coup Plot Danladi explained that Captain Ukpong subsequently told him that the authorities…
A Nigerian Army Lance Corporal, Sambo Danladi, has told a court that he was allegedly handcuffed, blindfolded and taken from Enugu to Abuja by soldiers who said the General Officer Commanding wanted to see him. He said he was taken to the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA), where he was questioned about his relationship with Warrant Officer Nasiru and an alleged coup plot.
Danladi alleged that Captain Ukpong and Lieutenant Chima pressured him to implicate Nasiru, telling him that he could be released if he agreed to testify against the officer. He said he was shown a prepared statement and instructed to copy it, despite telling his interrogators that parts of it were untrue. He also alleged that he was denied access to his wife and a lawyer and was poorly fed during his initial days in detention.
During cross-examination, Danladi maintained that he was describing what happened to him, while questioning from the other side challenged his account of whether he had been asked to implicate anyone or informed of his right to legal representation. His evidence forms part of proceedings concerning military personnel detained over an alleged coup plot. The allegations made by the soldier remain matters for the court to assess.