Endless cases of military brutality
THE sight of military men in most cases, send jitters into ordinary citizens, They fear them because the military men often brutalise them at the slightest provocation.
Cases of military brutality are legion. The most painful aspect of it is that when they are torturing their fellow citizens, nobody comes to the aid of the civilian. No one reprimands or chastises them, and life goes on as if nothing happened.
On August 8, 2015, some Nigerian Soldiers tortured a robbery suspect at Mararaba in Nasarawa State. The show of force they unleashed on him forced tears out of the eyes of his accusers to the extent that they (accusers) started pleading with the soldiers for mercy.
A national daily, which captured and published images from the scene of the torture drew the attention of the Nigerian Army, which promised to summon the perpetrators, vowing that they would face disciplinary action after investigation.
In a statement by the Acting Director, Army Public Relations, Sani Usman, the army said: “The attention of Nigerian Army has been drawn to a front page photograph of some soldiers maltreating a suspected robber at Mararaba, Nasarawa State, on the front page of today’s edition of Daily Trust newspaper. Sadly, it is also trending on the Social Media. There is no doubt the photograph has done incalculable damage to the image of the service. The act was unfortunate and at variance with military ethics and professionalism. The Nigerian Army wishes to inform the public that the perpetrators of the offence have been identified, summoned and would face disciplinary action.
However there was no published report about the military disciplinary action against these soldiers.
On December 30, last year, Lagos State governor Akinwunmi Ambode apprehended two Nigeria Air Force officers in Mile 12 area of the state for locking up an artisan identified as Dahiru Lawal in their car trunk.
It was gathered that the cadets whose names were given as Peter Solomon and Abdullahi Fahad and attached to the Airforce Base, Ikeja, dehumanized him for allegedly breaking the windscreen of a Chrysler Stratus car with registration number KRD 267 DV. The cadets had forced Lawal into the boot of their car after dragging him on the ground for the said offence.
The bubble however, burst when the state governor who was returning from an inspection visit to Agbowa in Ikorodu, saw the situation and swiftly intervened to save Lawal who was then gasping for breath.
The governor who wondered how such inhuman treatment could be meted to a fellow citizen for breaking the windscreen of a car warned against a reoccurrence of such behaviours by law enforcement officers in the state.
Ambode ordered that the officers be handed over to the Police for further investigation and possible prosecution. Explaining their action to newsmen, the cadets admitted dumping Lawal in the boot of their car and torturing him.
While narrating his ordeal. Lawal who hails from Kaduna State, said he inadvertently damaged the windscreen with the load he carried, and that he took to his heels because he was afraid of what they might do to him.
In February, 2015, Yusuf Mohammed, a staff of Dowutas Trolley Service at the General Aviation Terminal 1 (GAT) of the Murtala Muhammed Airport (MMA), Lagos, was beaten to a point of death by a Naval ofMurtala Muhammed Airport ficer. The incident eventually led to the victim’s death on February 15, 2015.
Eye witnesses said that the officer, alongside his brother drove into the drop zone of the departure hall of the GAT at about 6a.m and parked his Silver Coloured SUV at the portion designated for dropping travelling passengers while they both escorted their mother, who was travelling out of Lagos, into the terminal.
On their return, they met the tyres of their SUV locked by men if the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) concessionaire charged with towing vehicles perceived to have been parked illegally or indiscriminately, within the drop zone.
An eye witness account said the Naval officer identified as Chukwu and his brother were furious at the action alleging that the late trolley service provider; Yusuf Mohammed had asked them to park the car in the drop zone.
It was gathered that Yusuf explained that he only advised both men not to leave the vehicle for more than a few minutes otherwise it would be towed.
In the ensuing argument, Chukwu’s brother was said to have punched Yusuf directly in the face and it was in the process of Yusuf falling that the naval officer kicked his feet from the floor with the booth; Yusuf fell with the back of his skull which started bleeding immediately.
The enraged Chukwu, quickly rushed to raise his head from the interlocking floor while blood gushed amid shouts for help. He was taken to the FAAN clinic beside the terminal where he received first aid treatment and referred to the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH).
It was stated that it was in the process of admitting the injured that he started convulsing and died at about 12 noon.
On May 18, 2015, NAF personnel controlling traffic at the departure section of the international terminal wing of MMA, Lagos beat up a staff of FAAN, Mohammed Shuaibu, inflicting injuries on him.
Shuaibu, who works at the protocol unit of the agency had told his friend to come and pick him at the airport. But on arrival at the airport, he parked the car at the departure section of the terminal.
Some minutes after he parked his car, two Air Force personnel, who were controlling traffic moved to where the car was parked to remove the plate numbers for allegedly parking there longer than necessary. Shuaibu, it was gathered. after seeing what happened pleaded with them not to take away the plate numbers.
According to an eye witness account, Shuaibu who was in FAAN uniform introduced himself and showed them his identity card but the military men refused to listen to his plea.
In the midst of all that, an argument ensued between them and the military men descended on Shuaibu and beat him up. He was beaten by the NAF men until he collapsed with blood oozing from his nostrils.
On April 29, 2015, a female Police Inspector, Florence Anih, saw the other side of the power tussle among different arms of the Nigerian security apparatus when a lance corporal in the Air Force identified as Friday Zadiel, reportedly slapped her several times, beat her up and damaged her car at a filling station along the Murtala Muhammed International Airport Road, Lagos.
According to eyewitnesses, Anih had driven into the Forte Oil Filling Station to buy fuel on April 29. As a law-abiding officer, she joined the queue to wait for her turn.
But when it was her turn to buy fuel, the attendant noticed that her tank was not proportionate with the nozzle and there was a need for her to turn her car so that she could be attended to.
It was in the process of turning that the Air Force officer who was said to be with another officer in a truck marked, Rotary Group 205, thought she wanted to beat the queue and reportedly ordered her to get back amd join the queue.
The order led to an argument and in the process, Zadiel dealt Anih hot slaps and damaged the windscreen of her car.
On January 19, 2015, a lance corporal attached to the office of the Commandant, Airport Command, Group Captain Victor Ajiboye, slapped a Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP), Felicia Victor, three times for allegedly resisting attempts to deflate a patrol vehicle she was in. The police sergeant, who was the driver of the vehicle the CSP was inside was also landed with also a punch in his mouth by the lance corporal for attempting to protect his boss.
The sergeant and the CSP were on their way for the usual security meeting with the Commissioner of Police, Airport Command, when the incident happened.
Mid last year, four soldiers and two naval officers beat three officers of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, LASTMA into unconsciousness at Mile 2 area of Lagos State.
The LASTMA officers- Gbenga Ajayi-Bembe, Akeem Bisiriyu and Abiodun Kayode, were battered by the military men while trying to remove a broken down trailer obstructing traffic at Mile 2.
They were rushed to the Gbagada General Hospital for treatment where they were revived after they were unconscious for some time.
Trouble started when the Head, Zone 5, LASTMA asked Kayode, the LASTMA towing vehicle driver to go and tow a trailer, which broke down at Mile 2 ‘Oke.’
The owner of the trailer was said to have called the soldiers and naval officers who, on arrival, gave Kayode a beating of his life.
The soldiers successfully removed the trailer that was being towed away and drove off while Kayode contacted his boss to come to his rescue. The LASTMA officilals then chased the fleeing trailer being driven by the soldiers.
Getting to First Gate, Mile 2, Kayode used his towing vehicle to block the trailer while the soldiers came down and descended on him and beat him until he collapsed while two other LASTMA officers came to rescue him.
The other two officers-Ajayi- Bembe and Bisiriyu who came to rescue their colleague were also thoroughly beaten until they also became unconscious while the soldiers and the naval officers drove the trailer away.
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