The Borno State Police Command has arrested three persons who appeared in a video brutalising two underaged boys over alleged theft of N30,000 in Maiduguri.
The Police Commissioner, Muhammed Aliyu, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Maiduguri.
Aliyu said two of the suspects were members of the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF).
NAN reports that the arrest followed a video which went viral showing the CJTF officials allegedly beating up the boys, whose hands were tied backward.
Aliyu said that the suspects were apprehended by other members of the CJTF, adding that they would soon be charged to court.
Reacting, Jibril Gunda, the CJTF Legal Adviser, said the two CJTF members from Sector 10 formation had been dismissed from service.
Gunda said the two boys (names withheld) were said to have been taken to the CJTF formation for interrogation by members of their families.
According to him, while undergoing the interrogation, a member of their family took a video footage and placed it on social media, which provoked public outcry.
“We immediately identified the two CJTF members from Sector 10 and arrested them and later handed them over to the police.
“CTJF has zero tolerance for acts of indiscipline and unprofessional conduct, especially in relation to violation of human rights.
“The public should please regard this ugly incident as an isolated case which is not true reflection of the Civilian JTF,” Gunda said.
“The creation of the CJTF was to only complement the efforts of the security forces in the counter terrorism operation and not to handle any case meant to be taken to the police station,” he added.
The CJTF is a local vigilance group made of young men armed with sticks popularly known as Yan gora in Hausa language, to complement the efforts of security forces in quelling the activities of Boko Haram terrorists.
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