*I suspect JTF— Editor-in-Chief *Not possible—Army Spokesman

By Luka Binniyat

KADUNA – Editor of a Kaduna-based Hausa newspaper, Al. Mizan, Mallam Mohammed Awwal, and his reporter, Mallam Aliyu Saleh, were in the early hours of Sunday forcefully abducted by armed men said to be in US Army uniform.

Wife of the Editor, Mrs Hannatu Awwal, told journalists, who paid her a solidarity visit at their home in Rigassa quarters, Kaduna, that her husband’s abductors numbering about 20, stormed their home around 4am, Sunday, wearing military fatigue with the insignia of US Army.

They wore US Army uniform— Wife

She said: “The men came in jeeps with tinted glasses; forced their way into our home, ordered everyone to lie on the floor and then severely beat up my husband.”

She also said that their house was also thoroughly searched by the men before they took away her husband.

Editor’s reaction
A statement by the Editor-in-chief of Al-Mizan, Mallam Ibrahim Musa, corroborated her story, adding that the same treatment was meted out to the reporter, Aliyu.

He said: “They whisked away Aliyu and his wife. They later dropped her along Makarfi Road while they took away the two journalists.

“Although it is not clear why they have been arrested, however it might not be unconnected with the lead story in the current edition of Al-Mizan Newspaper which revealed the alleged atrocities of the Military Joint Task Force, JTF, in Potiskum in which 84 persons had been abducted.

“We call for the immediate and unconditional release of our staff whose arrest has violated due process and their individual human rights.”

Army’s story
Meanwhile, Public Relations Officer of the First Infantry Division, Nigerian Army, Colonel Sani Kukasheka has denied any knowledge of such an incident in Kaduna, adding that if there was such an incident, then officers from his division were not involved.

He said: “I can assure you that no one has authorised such an operation, and it could not have come from our men. All my checks reliably showed that there was no movement of such troops from any of our formation in the North. That is all I can tell you for now. If I get anything, I will let you know.”