Rear Admiral Ibrahim Dewu of the Nigerian Navy and his escort has allegedly assaulted a police officer, Suleiman Jazuli and his brother, Barrister Hadi Jazuli.
The victims sustained various degrees of injuries on their bodies, including the chest and eyes, when the Naval personnel hit them with guns
In March, Dewu, a former Commander of NNS Delta State, was redeployed to the Nigerian Navy Hotels and Suites Limited as Managing Director.
The senior officer and four security details got furious because the Jazuli brothers attempted to overtake their convoy.
The incident occurred last Monday at the Galadima Estate entrance gate in Abuja, the Nigerian capital.
Hadi recalled that he and Suleiman were returning to Abuja from Kano with their families, where they had gone for the weekend.
The legal practitioner was with his wife and children, while Suleiman drove in a separate car.
Ha said trouble started when he attempted to move past a convoy of two cars, an SUV and a Toyota Hilux, around the Galadima axis along the Zuba-Kubwa expressway.
“The two cars were driving at a low speed, then I tried to overtake them. Suddenly, the SUV swerved to the left and blocked the road to stop me from overtaking. I quickly applied the brake to avert an accident”, he told PRNigeria.
Hadi reversed and drove into the entrance gate of the housing estate at Galadima but the driver of the Hilux trailed and blocked his car.
The Kano State-born lawyer said one of Rear Admiral Dewu’s security details rained insults on him.
“As my brother, who was watching us from behind, came down to intervene, four naval men just pounced on him. Admiral Dewu, himself, was yelling that he would teach us a bitter lesson we will never forget.
“The attention of police personnel was drawn and they invited us to the police station. Although Admiral Dewu and his men agreed to go, they surprisingly zoomed off. Only my brother and I wrote a statement.”
Hadi lamented the abuse they were subjected to in front of their wives and kids. “They watched helplessly”, he added.
The brothers disclosed a petition would be forwarded to the Chief of Naval Staff (CNS) Rear Admiral Awwal Gambo for an investigation.
They have also engaged lawyers to file a lawsuit against Dewu and his guards to enforce their fundamental rights.
Nigerian Navy Director of Naval Information, Commodore Suleman Dahun confirmed the incident.
The spokesman described it as a “misunderstanding” that would be resolved administratively