The management of an Abuja-based travel agency, SMT Limited, has raised serious public concern over what it described as the unlawful arrest and continued detention of one of its staff members, Mr. Dan Wesley, allegedly by military personnel attached to the Guards Brigade, Mambilla Barracks, Abuja.
Chronicles Reporters gathered that Wesley was reportedly taken away at gunpoint and has since been held incommunicado following a dispute linked to a Canada work visa application process handled by the company.
According to information made available to this newspaper, an agent identified as Mr. Leo had introduced a client, Mrs. Bridget Ladi, to SMT Limited for assistance with a Canada work visa. The company said it followed due process, including arranging an interview between the client and a prospective Canadian employer.
However, after the interview stage, the employer reportedly declined to proceed with the application, effectively terminating the process.
SMT Limited alleged that following this development, Mr. Leo visited its office located on King Jaja Street, Gwarimpa, Abuja, on two separate occasions. On both visits, he was reportedly accompanied by armed personnel conveyed in a military police van allegedly from the Guards Brigade, Mambilla Barracks. The team was said to be led by a warrant officer identified as W.O. Abubakar.
The company disclosed that on January 20, 2026, Mr. Leo was formally advised to submit a written request for a refund in line with SMT Limited’s refund policy, which provides a processing window of up to 60 days. Management said this procedure was standard and non-negotiable.
However, SMT Limited alleged that the agent rejected this process and instead allegedly mobilised armed military personnel, culminating in the arrest of Mr. Dan Wesley, who was neither the agent nor the decision-maker in the visa application.
The company further alleged that Wesley was arrested at gunpoint, subjected to maltreatment, and taken to the Guards Brigade facility at Mambilla Barracks, where he has allegedly been detained without access to his family or legal counsel.
Management claimed it was later informed that the detention was carried out on orders “from above,” a claim it described as alarming and indicative of a possible abuse of military authority in a purely civil and commercial dispute.
In a statement, SMT Limited condemned what it termed harassment, intimidation, and a gross misuse of state power, stressing that all its engagements with the client were conducted professionally and in strict compliance with established procedures.
The company called for the immediate and unconditional release of Mr. Wesley, insisting that the matter, if disputed, should be addressed through lawful civil channels and not through force or intimidation.
A source familiar with the case told Chronicles Reporters that all efforts made so far to secure Wesley’s release have proved unsuccessful.
Attempts by Chronicles Reporters to obtain official comments from the Nigerian Army were unsuccessful. The Army spokesperson, Colonel Appolonia Anele, neither answered calls placed to her mobile phone nor responded to messages sent as of the time of filing this report.
Chronicles Reporters will continue to monitor developments surrounding this case, particularly concerns over the alleged involvement of military personnel in a civil dispute and the implications for the rule of law and civil liberties.