SaharaReporters has learnt of an alleged covert plan to ‘kill’ a group of soldiers who were arrested late last year on charges of mutiny and attempted murder.
The soldiers who have been held since September last year managed to reach out to the outside world via text messages, using the opportunity to reveal the conditions they are being held in. The initial message they sent to the online portal (Sahara Reporters) read:
“Greetings sir, we are the 12 soldiers sentenced to death others detained at CIC Apapa, Lagos. We are to inform you that following our denial of access to our families, councils & even access to fund [sic] to feed our familiespay our legal fees, that as you know, we had been concealing our cell phone to help us hear from counsels.
The phone was collected on 6515, in view of this, we have not been fed, We are on hand-cuff & leg chain, we are kept naked [sic] & deprived of even drinking water. As it stands now sir, our lives are at stake. We, therefore, plead with due respect that you intervene”
When Sahara Reporters however followed up trying to call the number, they met with no success.
Shortly after, one of the accused soldiers reached Sahara Reporters again, this time in a voice call with a frantic message.“They are trying to kill us. They want to kill us” the voice said.
They also managed to sneak out another text message.“Is not OK, they want to kill us with bitting [sic] starvation since 4 days we have not eating [sic] any food pls help us we are the 12 soldiers they sentenced last year.”