EX-AIDE OF FORMER KADUNA SENATOR CLAIMS HE WAS ABDUCTED AND TORTURED TO IMPLICATE SHEHU SANI

By: Balogun Ibrahim

For Bashir Ahmad, the trauma of December 2017 remains vivid. The former aide to ex-Kaduna senator Shehu Sani says he was beaten, chained, and coerced into implicating his boss in an alleged assassination plot—an ordeal that left him traumatised and partially deaf. In this interview with GODWIN ISENYO, he recounts his arrests, alleged torture, and his ongoing pursuit of justice years after the incident.

Can you introduce yourself?

“My name is Bashir Ahmad Hammadada. I was born in 1969 and live in Tudun-Wada, Kaduna South Local Government Area of Kaduna State.”

Recently, Senator Shehu Sani shared on X that you were abducted and tortured in Kaduna in 2017 following your criticism of the state government. Prior to your abduction, were you involved in political activism?

Yes. I worked as Special Assistant on Special Duties and Religious Matters to Shehu Sani, who represented Kaduna Central Senatorial District in the National Assembly. I held this role from 2015 to 2018.

Did you receive any threats before the incident?

No, I did not receive any warnings or threats prior to the incident.

Can you describe what happened on the day you were abducted?

In December 2017, around 8:45 p.m., I was driving home near the Kasuwan Barchi roundabout in Tudun-Wada, Kaduna South LGA, when a truck carrying soldiers intercepted and blocked my vehicle. When I asked what the problem was, they attacked me, beating me severely. I cried out for help, but the soldiers fired a warning shot into the air, sending passers-by running. They wore masks and had removed their name tags and ranks. They forced me into their truck and drove me to the late Senator Aruwa’s farm along the Abuja-Kaduna Road, leaving my vehicle behind at the scene.

What happened when you arrived at the location?

I was placed in a room with over 30 other detainees. I was blindfolded and handcuffed. It was late at night before I realized I wasn’t alone. Conditions were harsh and cold. Around 6:00 a.m. the next morning, the torture began. We were stripped naked every day. Between 9:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m., they would give us beans and garri to eat. I witnessed the killing of a detainee, whose body was reportedly dumped into a large pit on the farm. Some detainees were tied to trees and tortured.

READ MORE…

JAKANDE ACADEMY ALUMNI PUSH FOR EFFECTIVE, RESULTS-ORIENTED LEADERSHIP

How long were you held there?

I was detained for between two and four days before being transferred to the NDA Garrison Cell.

What were you told at the new location?

When we arrived at the NDA Garrison Cell, the soldiers told the guards that I was a suspected kidnapper operating around Sabon Gaya along the Abuja-Kaduna Road. In reality, I was arrested at the Kasuwan Barchi roundabout in Tudun-Wada, and there was no connection between me and the allegation.

How many people arrested you?

About six soldiers arrested me. They intercepted my vehicle near the Kasuwan Barchi area in Tudun-Wada, getting out of their vehicle armed with guns.

Were they in uniform?

Yes, they were in uniform and masked. Two soldiers positioned themselves in front of the gun truck, a Land Rover, while four others stayed behind it. When I was picked up, one of them sarcastically told me to call Senator Shehu Sani to secure my release.

Did they identify themselves before arresting you?

No. They descended on the area in a commando-style operation and blocked my vehicle. Before I could react, they forced me into their vehicle and drove off at speed.

Did they explain why you were being taken away?

Not immediately. It was only later, when we were taken to the NDA Garrison Cell, that they handed a gun to the soldier on guard, claiming it had been recovered from us. They alleged that we were bandits operating around Sabon Gaya along the Abuja-Kaduna Road. That was how we were informed of the accusation. At the time, Major Yakubu Yusuf Soja was leading “Operation Yaki” and was reportedly acting on the instructions of Governor Nasir El-Rufai. I believe the former governor used security operatives to intimidate perceived opponents in Kaduna State.

How long were you in detention?

I spent four days at the farm before being transferred to the NDA facility, where I spent another six days, totaling 10 days in detention.

To clarify, are you referring to the Nigerian Defence Academy or the One Division, Nigerian Army?

I meant the old NDA facility at Angwan Kanawa. While in detention there, an officer, Colonel Murtala, saw me and ordered that I be brought out of the cell. He said he had been informed that I was arrested at Sabon Gaya as a suspected bandit. I told him this was false and explained that I was arrested around Tudun-Wada. He then advised me to contact my family to come and take me home. I called my elder brother, Mukhtar, who subsequently contacted Senator Shehu Sani. My family later came to the NDA and secured my release.

You mentioned you were arrested more than once?

Yes, I was arrested three times. The second arrest happened in February 2018, when I was accused of involvement in a murder. They claimed that Senator Shehu Sani had given me N250,000 to pass to one Isah Garba to kill a man named Lawal Maitura. I was arrested right in front of my house. My first arrest was in December 2017, and the second in February 2018.

How are you sure the former governor ordered your arrest?

I am convinced it was politically motivated. One of the soldiers sarcastically told me to call Senator Shehu Sani to secure my release. That made me believe the arrest had political undertones. I was severely beaten again and taken to the same farm along the Abuja-Kaduna Road belonging to the late Senator Aruwa, where I was handcuffed and chained at the legs.

Did your abductors question you about anything specific?

During my first arrest, there was little interrogation. But during the second arrest in front of my family house in Tudun-Wada, the operation was massive. Around 10 truckloads of armed men stormed my house, pointing guns at me in the presence of my cousin, Ibrahim. They told me I was under arrest and initially said I was being taken to the One Division, Nigerian Army. Instead, they drove me back to the same farm where I had previously been detained. Around noon, they asked if I recognized the place, and I said no. They later brought in another detainee, Isah Garba. The soldiers asked him if he knew me. At first, he said no, but when asked again whether he knew anyone called Hammadada, he said yes. They claimed he had identified me and alleged that I had given him N250,000 from Senator Shehu Sani to kill Lawal Maitura. I told them repeatedly that the allegation was false. I had never met Garba or Maitura, and Senator Sani had never instructed me to harm anyone.

Can you describe what happened to you?

I was tortured and beaten severely, forced to confess to a crime I did not commit. They made me admit that Senator Shehu Sani gave me money to deliver to Garba to assassinate Lawal Maitura. I repeatedly told them I had never seen either of the men and that the allegation was untrue.

Afterward, they put Garba and me in a room. He showed me his bleeding hands and said he had been tortured and ordered to implicate me. He explained he did not know Maitura and that he was part of a vigilante group in Kabala Costain, Kaduna North LGA, while I live in Kaduna South. He claimed he was targeted for being strict on local political thugs.

Before I was taken to the One Division detention facility, a soldier tried to persuade me to accept the false allegation to gain freedom. I refused, saying it was murder, and I could not admit to something that never happened. That day, I was tortured so severely that I developed hearing problems. To this day, I cannot hear properly without hearing aids. I was handcuffed and chained at the legs before being placed in Cell Four alongside people alleged to be Boko Haram members.

How did you know they were Boko Haram members?

They told me they were members. While in the cell, they frequently insulted the late President Muhammadu Buhari and his administration, as well as former Governor Nasir El-Rufai.

How long were you detained, and under what conditions?

I spent six days in detention. During that period, I was handcuffed and chained at the legs. My wrists and ankles bled, and I remained restrained even while eating. Garba endured the same treatment. Those six days were filled with fear and uncertainty, as I had no idea what would happen next.

How were you released? Were there any conditions?

I was eventually released after six days in detention. No formal conditions were imposed, but I left deeply traumatised and fearful.

What is your appeal to the authorities?

I am urging the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to conduct a full investigation into what I consider my illegal abduction and detention. I am also seeking compensation for the physical and psychological harm I suffered, including permanent damage to my hearing caused by the torture I endured.