A 27 years old man, Yusufa Haruna is dead. He was allegedly beaten to death by Soldiers of Operation Ayem Akpatuma (Cat Race) at Mbamga in Sarduana local government area of the state.
Father of the deceased, Mr. Haruna Kurkal, told journalists in Jalingo on Monday that trouble started when his late son had a misunderstanding with his girlfriend which resulted in a fight between them.
According to him, the parents of the girl (name withheld) reported the misunderstanding to the village head of the area, Jauro Saleh Abubakar, who asked the Sarkin Hausawa, Alhaji Ibrahim Bangari, to report the issue to soldiers.
He narrated that the soldiers on receipt of the complaint stormed his house looking for him and his son but they were not at home as they were on the farm.
“On Friday March 23rd, I was home in the evening when my daughter ran to me crying that soldiers beat Yusufa to death.
“He was unconscious as he was badly tortured. We quickly took him to the hospital where he was pronounced dead,” he narrated.
Haruna said the matter was reported to the police in Gembu who arrested the village head and the girl in question and have since brought them to Jalingo for further interrogation.
The deceased’s father who said they arrived Jalingo at the weekend said the village head and the girl were in custody of the police at the command headquarters in Jalingo, and that proper investigation is expected to commence on Tuesday after the Easter holiday.
When contacted Director Army Public Relations, Brigadier, Gen. Texas Chukwu said that he was not aware of the development, but promised to verify the information.
The Taraba State Police Public Relations Officer, ASP. David Misal said he was yet to be briefed on the issue.
