By Yusuf Adua and Bukola Hameed
The ill-treated student of the Federal University of Ilorin, Comrade Idris Olalekan, who was utterly harassed by the men of Operation Burst on Saturday, has taken his time to address the crucible.
In an early morning interaction with News Live Nigeria Chief Editor today, Comrade Excellent conceded to being moved to tears each time the unfortunate incident scurries through his memory.
Comrade Olalekan was at the NAOS National election ground, FRSC Headquarters Oyo, on the 26th of December,2020 just like other eligible students of the thirty-eight registered chapters of the association.
Mr. Excellent said his awe is overly heightened to be caught in the web of a situation like this after being part of those who cooled the hot argument between the outgoing President of the association and a member which was consequently leading to an exchange of blows.
News Live Nigeria reported that there existed a fracas between the student—voters and some corps of Operation Burst on the 26th of December, 2020 at about 01:32 pm which halted the procession of the election. Mr. Excellent illuminated on the matter saying that students from his school, Unilorin, were having issues as regards who to represent them to exercise their franchise which at a point resulted into a verbal altercation.
“Then a sister-friend, Maryam, came all the way from her duty post being one of the electoral officers to join the argument. Another colleague confronted her and that what when they wanted to engage in a fight. At that point,
I moved to her side and cautioned her, she kept on with her argument, then I removed my cap (Inscribed on it ‘VOUCHSAFE’), the same type Maryam was putting on, snapped the cap on her back and that was all”, he narrated with dismay.
All that Comrade Olalekan would see afterwards was a blow, beating and hitting with gun butt from an officer of the Operation Burst squad.
“you’re a bastard, you this cultist, do you want to kill her? you’re a bastard” Excellent said the paramilitary operative barked repeatedly.
He added that students were already dragging him down from the vehicle but he insisted on going with them since he foresaw no problem whatsoever since the two people concerned here are allies.
The students therein did try to stop the officials, one on Kamo without name and others on Mufti and Kamo trousers, from taking him away engaging them for close to 10 minutes while he sat in the bus alone without thinking of disappearing into thin air.
” I even asked EACOED’s SU President to get my slippers for me, I was dragged after series of beating to their bus”, he furthered.
Excellent said the treatment of the OP Burst from the scene to their office at Kosobo was more than hell as he was hit several times by this same officer who arrested him.
The Operation Burst told Comrade Olalekan it has the permission to release bullets as it wishes as its members beat him repeatedly in the car.
On getting to their office, the officer beckoned on a junior colleague of his and ordered: “go and massage him”.
The former Student Union president of Emanuel Alayande college of Education was stripped naked, taken to a shower, spanked hardly with a grinding machine belt, and was then laid in front of the headquarters in a scorching sun with beating for more than 15 minutes. The disastrous brutality continued and they were warning him against touching his body or crying.
Two officers joined the scene according to Excellent, the former with a knotted grinding machine belt and the latter brought a machete with metal so sharp that spots of blood came out and were flogging him with it.
These uninvited military men wreaked this havoc for about 20 minutes before one of their bosses stepped in to put the torture to a halt.
All these went on after his phone (which screen they broke when we were heading to their office), identity cards (School and Work), and other gadgets have been collected and he was ushered to the cell.
Upon getting to the cell, the officer told the cellmates that Excellent should be madly tortured where the two cellmates also continued the spanking in the presence of the officers but stopped immediately they left.
“I was told to continue shouting after they left for it to seem that they were still beating me”.
“At about 15minutes to that time, I was released and slapped out of their headquarters by the first officer who had arrested me for an offense I’m still not in the know of what I did”, Excellent spilled.
Mr. Idris Toheeb Olalekan, Excellent, and the stakeholders in the ancient Oyo who have been following the situation chastised the vile and heartless officers of the Operation Burst who carried out the dastardly acts.
Though the National Association of Oyo Students Electoral Commission (NAOSEC) and the executive of the association have made their stand known that they did not in any way enquire or pay for the services of the paramilitary corp, it was gathered that the Special Assistant to the Governor of Oyo state on students affairs sought their services.
Siyanbola Akinkunmi, a CEO of an NGO, Omo Iya Kunmi Foundation, and Barrister Wakil Oyeleru Oyedemi are some of the timber and calibre that have sank their teeth on the imbroglio.