Alleged SCID Torture: Defendant tells court how he lost both eyes in custody
Minna High Court Hears Testimony of Torture in Homicide Trial
Minna, Niger State — A Minna High Court became visibly emotional on Friday as Idris Mohammed, a defendant in a prolonged homicide case, recounted the severe mistreatment he allegedly suffered at the hands of State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) operatives.
During cross-examination by his attorney, Olusegun Ogunbanwo, in front of Justice Mikhail Abdullahi of High Court II, Mohammed described how he lost both his eyes due to torture. He stated that while serving a sentence at the Minna Correctional Facility, plainclothes SCID officers took him to the police headquarters for questioning.
Mohammed, who was reportedly handcuffed and shackled, recounted being suspended and beaten in an attempt to extract a confession regarding a crime he insists he did not commit.
“I was taken to prison by a Shariah Court in Sabon-Titi, Tunga, Minna. While in prison, some plainclothes operatives came and took me to the SCID office, where I was tortured. As a result of the torture, I lost my two eyes,” he testified through an interpreter.
Mohammed is on trial alongside three co-defendants facing allegations of culpable homicide, which carries a potential death penalty. The Office of the Attorney General of Niger State arraigned the group in August 2015 for the alleged murder of an unidentified individual, whose body was discovered in the Lapai/Gbari area near Talba’s farm in Minna.
The defendants have denied any involvement in the crime, asserting they neither committed the offense nor recognized the alleged victim. They claim their confessions were obtained under duress.
Following the proceedings, Justice Abdullahi scheduled the next hearing for June 8, 2026.
