Even as the GDF continues to deny that it is aware of senior officers torturing soldiers during interrogation over a missing AK-47 rifle, Alvin Wilson who was in charge of the arms store yesterday said he was kicked about his rib cage and a false tooth smashed by members of the army’s investigating unit.
Wilson, a 53-year-old retiree who was serving as a reservist corporal of the organization told Stabroek News in an interview yesterday that he has already made up his mind “I want nothing to do with the army anymore.” Wilson, Michael Dunn, Sharth Robertson and several other ranks who were implicated in the disappearance of the weapon have told of being shocked, pepper-sprayed and whipped with metal pipes by officers attached to the Military Criminal Investiga-tion Department (MCID). While Wilson and Dunn have been released, Robertson, who the missing weapon was issued to, is still being detained by the army and up to Friday his relatives said he was still being mistreated. Wilson told Stabroek News yesterday that Robertson, from what he witnessed, suffered the most at the hands of the investigators.
Acting Deputy Chief of Staff, Colonel Bruce Lovell told Stabroek News on Friday that “For the loss of the AK 47 rifle several persons were interrogated and we are not aware of any act of physical abuse during the interrogation process. We remain committed to investigating any such act,” Lovell assured.
Wearing a back brace and still urinating blood, a bruised Wilson told Stabroek News yesterday that his travails with the institution he worked with for 20 years began on November 30 when he reported to the high command that a weapon he had issued to Robertson could not be accounted for. Wilson said that he had issued the weapon to Robertson, a reservist private on November 20. He said the weapon was to have been returned three days after but this was not done since the soldier remained on duty for that weekend. Wilson said on November 30 he decided to do a 100% check as the one responsible for the arms store and while tallying the weapons he realized that Robertson had not returned his. The 53-yerar-old said he immediately contacted the officer who was in charge of Robertson but the soldier was no where in the compound but rather at a relative in Victoria, East Coast Demerara. Robertson has since said he returned the weapon but he did not book it in and apparently someone recognizing this hid the weapon or stole it.
Wilson said he made several checks around the compound, but came up empty-handed. He recalled that from the time he reported that the weapon was missing the high command ordered that the entire base at Ayanganna be closed; no one was allowed to leave the compound. Wilson said he was in his barracks on the morning of December 1, when a private contacted him, saying that he was wanted at the G2 Branch. He said he reported to a Major who asked him as soon as he got into the office whether he had a cell phone. Wilson answered in the affirmative and the officer grabbed the phone from him and ran through it. He said he was questioned about the whereabouts of the weapon and he maintained that he did not steal it and was unaware as to who might have done so. Shortly after, Wilson said he was escorted from G2 Branch by a Lieutenant and marched into the MCID, where he was further questioned by the head of that unit. “Wilson where is the people weapon?” the officer queried. “Sir all I know I issued the weapon to the man and when I was checking for it I did not find it,” Wilson said was his response.
He said he was next handcuffed and the officer continued to press him about the weapon. “Major I don’t know anything
