Nigerian Army Accused Of Cover-Up In Death Of Polytechnic Student By Soldiers

Nigerian Army Accused Of Cover-Up In Death Of Polytechnic Student By Soldiers

The elder brother of Terhile Timothy Achinya, a Mechanical Engineering student at Isa Mustapha Agwai Polytechnic, Lafia, Nasarawa State, who was beaten to death by unidentified Nigerian Army personnel, has accused the army of withholding his brother’s body…….CONTINUE READING 

Joseph Achinya alleged in a phone interview with SaharaReporters that after the incident, the army took Terhile’s corpse, and it has yet to be returned. He reported, “We have visited the school and even my father came from the village, but we have not seen the body. We learned that the army has taken it, and all attempts to contact them have been unsuccessful.”

Joseph also claimed that the army acted on misinformation. He explained, “A man at the school asked my brother for money, which he did not have. The man then told the army personnel stationed outside the school that my brother was a ‘Yahoo boy.’ They then captured my brother and another student, who is still alive but in the hospital. They beat them severely, resulting in my brother’s death.”

Joseph denied any allegations that Terhile was involved in illegal activities or cultism. “My father supports us from the village and provides for our needs. They killed my brother unjustly,” he said.

SaharaReporters previously reported that the student was killed by soldiers who alleged his involvement in cultism. The incident has provoked outrage in the polytechnic community. Acting Rector Dr. Nurudeen Mu’azu Maifata has called for peace, and Student Union Government President Jacob John Mutuwa confirmed that the incident began when Samuel Ejembi reported alleged cult activities to the military. Soldiers then detained some students at Eji World, an entertainment center near the campus.

Efforts to reach Army spokesperson Major General Onyema Nwachukwu for a comment on the situation were unsuccessful at the time of this report.