THREAD
In 2019, #BBCAfricaEye found a series of disturbing videos—many too graphic to share—on social media.
They show detainees bound in a particular way. And almost all of them were filmed in Nigeria.
This is the story of #tabay…
In 2019, #BBCAfricaEye found a series of disturbing videos—many too graphic to share—on social media.
They show detainees bound in a particular way. And almost all of them were filmed in Nigeria.
This is the story of #tabay…
A warning - This film contains disturbing scenes including images of torture.
So what is #tabay?
In its simplest form, it is a method of restraint. The arms are forced back and tied at the elbows, cutting circulation to the hands. Sustained over hours this can be agonising.
But it’s just the start of a sadistic set of variations…
In its simplest form, it is a method of restraint. The arms are forced back and tied at the elbows, cutting circulation to the hands. Sustained over hours this can be agonising.
But it’s just the start of a sadistic set of variations…
Victims can be suspended, forcing the full weight of the body onto the arms…
The feet can be tied to the hands, contorting the body into a triangle…
A heavy block—wood or concrete—can be put on the victim’s back to intensify the pain…
In this case, the victim was hung above a fire.
Torture is illegal in Nigeria, prohibited by the Anti-Torture Act of 2017.
But we have evidence that this technique is still widely used.
So who are the worst offenders?
But we have evidence that this technique is still widely used.
So who are the worst offenders?
This video surfaced in 2019. We geolocated it to Banki in northern Nigeria, where the army is fighting Boko Haram.
It shows a captive dragged from a car by men in military uniform.
#Tabay is being used to restrain this man before he is dumped in a shallow grave and shot dead.
It shows a captive dragged from a car by men in military uniform.
#Tabay is being used to restrain this man before he is dumped in a shallow grave and shot dead.
We know that these men are Nigerian from the details of their conversation.
Their vehicle has camouflage that exactly matches the pattern used by the Nigerian army.
The army has said it is investigating this incident.
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Their vehicle has camouflage that exactly matches the pattern used by the Nigerian army.
The army has said it is investigating this incident.
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This is not the only example of the Nigerian army using #tabay.
We spoke to four separate security sources who all told us that this clip was filmed near Maiduguri, and that these men are serving army soldiers.
We spoke to four separate security sources who all told us that this clip was filmed near Maiduguri, and that these men are serving army soldiers.
The BBC put these allegations to Nigeria’s Defence HQ @DefenceInfoNG who responded...
But #tabay is not confined to the army
This video shows the arrest of three men accused of kidnap. One is bound and suspended between two cars.
This video shows the arrest of three men accused of kidnap. One is bound and suspended between two cars.
We know this was filmed in Kaduna State because we matched elements in the video to features visible on satellite imagery.
The cell tower, the tree, and the roof all place the incident at a petrol station south of Katari.
The cell tower, the tree, and the roof all place the incident at a petrol station south of Katari.
Close analysis shows men wearing uniforms from 3 branches of Nigerian security:
- Mobile Police (MOPOL)
- Nigerian Air Force Regiment Special Forces
- Nigeria Security & Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC)
- Mobile Police (MOPOL)
- Nigerian Air Force Regiment Special Forces
- Nigeria Security & Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC)
The Nigerian police @PoliceNG did not respond to a request for comment.
The Ministry of the Interior told the BBC that the NSCDC does not tolerate any form of misconduct...
The Ministry of the Interior told the BBC that the NSCDC does not tolerate any form of misconduct...
The evidence so far shows servicemen from four branches of the military & law enforcement torturing detainees, or present at the scene of torture.
But what about the most notorious branch of the Nigerian police, the Special Anti-Robbery Squad or #SARS?
But what about the most notorious branch of the Nigerian police, the Special Anti-Robbery Squad or #SARS?
We know from this clip that SARS use #tabay as a method of restraint.
But we have no visual evidence of SARS officers using any of the more sadistic variations.
But we have no visual evidence of SARS officers using any of the more sadistic variations.
And then, in 2019, we found a serving police officer who gave us a disturbing eyewitness account of what happens inside one SARS station.
For his own safety, we’ve hidden his identity.
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For his own safety, we’ve hidden his identity.
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This investigation started by looking at a particular form of torture.
But the focus on #tabay has raised a more fundamental question:
Why, when we’ve found so many examples of torture being used, can we find so few cases in which the perpetrators were held to account?
But the focus on #tabay has raised a more fundamental question:
Why, when we’ve found so many examples of torture being used, can we find so few cases in which the perpetrators were held to account?
One explanation is that torture has its defenders.
Some argue that these methods are a necessary part of the fight against the terrorists and bandits who plague whole regions of Nigeria.
Some argue that these methods are a necessary part of the fight against the terrorists and bandits who plague whole regions of Nigeria.
But #tabay is not just used against terrorists.
In June 2019, these boys were tortured by members of a government-backed vigilante group, the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF), in Maiduguri.
One boy has fainted from the pain. The other is begging to be shot.
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In June 2019, these boys were tortured by members of a government-backed vigilante group, the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF), in Maiduguri.
One boy has fainted from the pain. The other is begging to be shot.
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The boys were accused not of terrorism, but of stealing $80.
We found them at their home in Maiduguri, and with the permission of the boys and their guardian, asked them about their ordeal.
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We found them at their home in Maiduguri, and with the permission of the boys and their guardian, asked them about their ordeal.
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Determined to get justice, a relative of these boys posted the torture video to Facebook.
The next day, the CJTF issued a public apology to this family.
The CJTF has since told the BBC it forbids its members from committing any form of crime.
The next day, the CJTF issued a public apology to this family.
The CJTF has since told the BBC it forbids its members from committing any form of crime.
The CJTF said that this man, Umara Bukar Karumi, was arrested and prosecuted by the police, along with four others.
But even in this case, there are questions about accountability.
Had these men been charged under the anti-torture act, they would have faced up to 25 years in jail.
Instead, they received a lesser charge and were sentenced to just 3 months.
Had these men been charged under the anti-torture act, they would have faced up to 25 years in jail.
Instead, they received a lesser charge and were sentenced to just 3 months.
This, says lawyer Justus Ijeoma, is the heart of the problem: the anti-torture laws exist on paper, but in more than 2 years on the statute books, he says, they have never been used.
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There is no better example of this impunity than the case of Hassan and Auwalu Abdullahi Alfa.
In 2014, a SARS officer in Kano was among those found to have tortured these men, who were falsely accused of armed robbery.
In 2014, a SARS officer in Kano was among those found to have tortured these men, who were falsely accused of armed robbery.
Auwalu survived.
But his younger brother Hassan died from his injuries.
He was just 24 years old.
But his younger brother Hassan died from his injuries.
He was just 24 years old.
In a civil case brought against the police, the judge ruled that Hassan died as a result of the beating he received in police detention.
The torture, he said, was “unlawful, barbaric, and illegal.”
The torture, he said, was “unlawful, barbaric, and illegal.”
According to the court, the SARS officer in charge that day was this man: Yusuf Kolo.
What happened to Yusuf Kolo?
Bulama Bukarti @bulamabukarti, the lawyer who represented this family, says that no action was taken against Kolo or any of the other men responsible for the killing of Hassan.
Instead, he says, Kolo was promoted to lead SARS at the HQ in Abuja.
Bulama Bukarti @bulamabukarti, the lawyer who represented this family, says that no action was taken against Kolo or any of the other men responsible for the killing of Hassan.
Instead, he says, Kolo was promoted to lead SARS at the HQ in Abuja.
Since then, Yusuf Kolo has had another promotion. Today, as Commander of the Special Tactical Squad of the Nigerian Police, he is one of the most senior policemen in Nigeria.
Contacted by the BBC, Kolo declined to comment on the case. The Nigerian Police did not respond.
Contacted by the BBC, Kolo declined to comment on the case. The Nigerian Police did not respond.
This investigation was a team effort by @yaolri @danielsilas @KelvinNews @MayeniJones @effisfor @BonomiManuella @SVanhooymissen @Naomi_sb @Bahaushee @bertram_hill1 @BenDoBrown @ayombello @ChFrancavilla & #BBCAfricaEye editor @marcperky
#NothingStaysHiddenForever
#NothingStaysHiddenForever
