Alltimepost.com Sincerity of Purpose
A source who was detained in the same facility and later released, Chimezie Otuojor, told SaharaReporters that Phillip has remained in custody for about 65 days without being charged before a court.
A member of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) serving in the Federal Capital Territory has reportedly been detained for more than two months by operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) without a court order.The corps member, identified as Joseph Phillip from Plateau State, was serving as a Mathematics and Physics teacher at the International Model Science Academy located at the National Mathematical Centre in Sheda, Kwali Area Council of Abuja when he was arrested following a dispute with the school’s proprietor.
According to a source familiar with the matter, Phillip was accused by the school owner of fraud after he organised extra coaching classes for some students preparing for scholarship examinations without the proprietor’s approval.
The situation reportedly escalated when the proprietor alerted NSCDC officials, leading to Phillip’s arrest at the agency’s Kwali division before he was transferred to the Intelligence and Investigation Unit of the NSCDC command in Abuja.
A source who was detained in the same facility and later released, Chimezie Otuojor, told SaharaReporters that Phillip has remained in custody for about 65 days without being charged before a court.
Otuojor also alleged that NSCDC officials demanded a payment of ₦1.3 million from the corps member, alongside an additional ₦120,000 described as a “commandant’s service charge,” as a condition for his release.
According to him, Phillip’s health has deteriorated during his detention, and he is allegedly not being provided with adequate food.
“He is a Mathematics and Physics teacher. In the course of his primary assignment, he discussed with some parents and they agreed to register their kids for scholarship examinations,” Otuojor said.
“The parents knew he was doing it personally and not through the school. They paid him to help register their children and he did so.”
He explained that the dispute began when the school proprietor learned about the arrangement and accused Phillip of fraud for organising the lessons without notifying the school management.
“The next thing she did was call civil defence authorities. Their personnel came to the school, arrested him and took him to their division in Kwali,” he said.
According to Otuojor, Phillip was later transferred to the NSCDC command office in Wuse Zone 5, Abuja, where he has remained in detention.
“Phillip is still being detained at the command because he could not raise the ₦1.4 million they demanded,” he said.
He added that the corps member completed his one-year national service while in NSCDC custody.
“He has been there for over 60 days without any court order or being taken before a court of competent jurisdiction. The school principal who initiated the complaint has abandoned the matter, but the NSCDC officers insist that Phillip must pay ₦1.3 million before he can be released,” Otuojor said.
Otuojor further stated that Phillip has no family member or relative capable of raising the money demanded by the officers.
“As I am talking to you, Phillip’s health is deteriorating. They don’t give him food to eat,” he added.
Beyond Phillip’s case, Otuojor alleged that similar incidents of unlawful detention and extortion occur frequently at the NSCDC command in Abuja.
He alleged that some officers detain individuals and pressure them to pay large sums of money to secure their freedom.
“Once they get hold of their prey, they begin to physically assault them and forcefully make them sell their valuables to raise money if they don’t have the amount,” he said.
According to him, the minimum amount allegedly demanded from detainees is often around ₦1 million.
Otuojor cited another incident involving a suspect arrested for allegedly possessing a fake NSCDC identity card.
“They kept him in their custody for more than 30 days and made sure he paid ₦1.5 million before he was released. Out of fear, the man had to sell some of his personal belongings to settle them,” he claimed.
He added that detainees are often threatened with imprisonment and told they would be transferred to correctional facilities if they fail to meet the financial demands.
“It is on record that the FCT command has become a theatre of corrupt practices. They bundle Nigerians into their cells and threaten them with prison,” he alleged.
Efforts by SaharaReporters to obtain comments from officials of the NSCDC command in the Federal Capital Territory were unsuccessful at the time of filing this report.
SOURCE: SAHARA REPORTERS
