Reps summon CDS, COAS over alleged assault on lawmaker

The House of Representatives has summoned the Chief of Defence Staff, Lucky Irabor, and Chief of Army Staff, Faruk Yahaya, over an alleged assault on a member of the House, Kpam Sokpo, by men of the 401 Division of the Nigerian Army.

The lawmakers asked Messrs Irabor, a general, and Yahaya, a lieutenant general, to appear before the House to explain the circumstances that led to the assault.

This resolution followed a motion moved by Mark Gbillah (LP, Benue) on Wednesday during plenary.

While moving the motion, Mr Gbillah explained that men of the 401 Division of the Nigerian Army stormed the Old Barn Hotel, Gboko in Benue State and allegedly assaulted several people, including the lawmaker on 18 March.

Mr Gbillah claimed that the soldiers assaulted the lawmaker without any provocation.

“These military men, numbering over 20 stormed the hotel in Nigerian Army trucks and dressed in military uniforms but without any identifiers such as nametags, any form of personal identity or ranks,” he said.

He noted that the military personnel had no name tag or any means of identification.

Mr Gbillah claimed that the same soldiers also carried out extra-judicial killings in Gboko on the same day.

“This same team of soldiers were allegedly responsible for the extrajudicial killings of at least two (2) persons in Gboko in two (2) separate instances on the same day,” Mr Gbillah stated.

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Consequently, the House resolved that Messrs Irabor and Yahaya must identify the culprits involved in the assaults and also brief the House about actions currently taken by military authorities to investigate the unprovoked assault.

In addition, the House resolved that the military heads must explain the military’s rules of engagement during election monitoring and other engagements with the civilian population.