A Synopsis of the 18-Feb-1997 Saga (F-18) in Port-Harcourt
The incident that led to the event known as the F-18 Day occurred in 1997 during the admission process of new members. During this period, the Olympus Marino Deck (Rivers State Chapter) was using a bar at a member’s residence as its Temporary Anchor Point, in GRA, Port Harcourt.
The barracks of the 19th Squadron of the Mobile Police (MOPOL 19) was very close to the Temporary Anchor Point. Mobile Policemen, their guests and the general public patronised the bar. However, whenever there is a members-only event, non-members are excused.
On the fateful day, after the written exam which was conducted at the amphitheatre of the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital, the over 250 applicants were requested to proceed to the Temporary Anchor Point for the documentation of their credentials. Before the arrival of the applicants, members of the association were arriving in trickles in anticipation of the arrival of the applicants at 3 pm.
The root cause of the crisis was that a Mobile Police Officer being a non-member could not understand why he was asked to return later by 5pm for his normal pepper soup, while members of the association (Seadogs) were being served pepper soup and drinks. Oblivious of the fact that the Temporary Anchor Point was not open to non-members, at that time, he felt slighted.
He left in anger and came back with another officer who demanded explanations on the restriction to the Temporary Anchor Point. He was educated about the National Association of Seadogs (NAS) as a registered organization. The explanation did not douse the building tension as the officer demanded to see a copy of the NAS registration document which was not readily available. At that point, sensing trouble, the applicants at the Temporary Anchor Point were moved from the bar into the main house, while Seadogs tried to talk with the officer who was in uniform and armed. Just then, the officer ordered backup on his radio from the MOPOL barracks, which was just a walking distance from the Temporary Anchor Point.
On his open communication walkie-talkie set, the Police Officer tagged the Seadogs as a group suspected to be affiliated with the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO). This prompted an order for the arrest of the Seadogs by the Commissioner of Police, Abubakar Abdulkadir who was new in town and had also picked up the message on his radio.
Members of the association were rounded up and asked to file out from the Temporary Anchor Point in a single file to the main road. As they filed out, some Seadogs and applicants that arrived late simply walked past to avoid being arrested. Those arrested were marched to the MOPOL barracks in a single file tied with their shirts to one to another. Typical of the Police Modus Operandi they were brutalised.
Minutes later, the acting head of the MOPOL in Rivers State arrived, exuding so much energy with the wrong notion that he had captured members of the proscribed NADECO. News of the arrest started filtering out to other Seadogs in town.
Hope was not lost as it was then believed that the Olympus Marino First Mate, who was a lawyer, would handle the matter and ensure their release. The First Mate was also optimistic that he would secure their release and approached the Commander and introduced himself as a legal counsel to NAS. Unfortunately, he was immediately attacked by the Commander with a deadly karate kick that brought him down to the ground. He was arrested and also clamped into detention.
The MOPOL Commander gave an order that the heavy-set individuals amongst them were the leaders and that they should be leg-cuffed. They were then all moved into a single dingy cell that evening. There was no provision for food or water. Inside their dingy cell they used empty bottles for passing urine.
The following day after the arrest, news of the arrest was already all over town. At about 3pm, the arrested Seadogs were brought out of the cell and moved into an open military truck. This was supervised by the Police Commissioner, Abubakar Abdulkadir. The convoy with blaring sirens included the Commissioner, the head of legal at the SIIB Unit, heavily armed policemen and a detachment of Operation Flush, the State security outfit in Rivers State. The destination at this point was unknown to the Seadogs. A crowd gathered and watched while they were transported out of the place.
The drive was a short distance to the Zamani Lekwot Barracks (Bori Camp). The arrested Seadogs were driven straight to the quarter guard. On arrival, they were received by the Commanding Officer (a Lieutenant Colonel) and under the supervision of the Police Commissioner and Commandant of the barracks after being stripped of their clothing; they were checked into three cells with 8 to 10 persons in a 1 metres by 2 metres cell. The security around the guard room was increased with the final command given loudly by the Commandant to the effect that, if anyone tries to escape or do anything suspicious, he should be shot at sight.
This marked the beginning of 72 days in detention at the Bori Camp Military Barracks. The ordeals were too gory to narrate. From the early morning floggings, the dehumanising acts of having the detainees defecate in open space with the other leg-cuffed partner right beside, cars impounded and families harassed with unwarranted visits and house searches, it was a very agonising period whose fuller details have been captured in the Olympus Marino History Document.
In conclusion, it is important to state that Seadogs and some applicants who were arrested on that fateful day of February 18, 1997, remained in custody and were arraigned.
The charges against them started off with the NADECO membership tag, but later became that of the foot soldiers of Prof Wole Soyinka. It culminated in the secret cult tag, especially when an artificial skull used for practical studies was found in the residence of a Seadog, who was then a medical student.
They were finally released by the Rivers State High Court, Port Harcourt, on 30-April 1997. It is worth mentioning that the Deck later appeared before the Justice Chukwudifu Oputa Human Rights Violation Investigation Commission (HRVIC) to put on record the illegal invasion, arrest and dehumanisation of members of NAS by agents of the military junta.
In recognition of their bravery in weathering the turbulence of the brutal Abacha regime, the 33 survivors of the F-18 Saga were awarded the Order of the Golden Compass at the 50th Anniversary Converge by the leadership of National Association of Seadogs (Pyrates Confraternity).
Annually, 18-February is commemorated across the Confraternity in remembrance of the persecution visited on some Seadogs of Olympus Marino Deck during the dark days of military dictatorship. F-18 Day also brings attention to abuse of power at different levels of government, as well as the need for reforms in the justice system in Nigeria.
In 2022, a lecture was held with the the topic:
“Beyond Promises – Strategies for Reforming Law Enforcement in Nigeria”
In 2021 the lecture topic was:
“Towards Reforming the Administration of Criminal Justice System in Nigeria”.
Source: “A Brief History of Olympus Marino Deck (1978~2018)”