…army detains six soldiers over alleged brutality of
woman
Less than 72 hours after some naval officers swooped
on a hapless policewoman at the Mushin area of Lagos State, whipping her black
and blue, another woman, this time, a civilian has been brutalised by soldiers
at Ikorodu, also in Lagos.
The police woman, identified as Sergeant Vicky,
attached to Lagos State Police Command, traffic section, was attacked by a naval
officer and a rating because she hit the body of their car. Vicky was said to
have hit the body of the car after the men refused to heed her signal to halt
along Mushin axis. The incident occurred around 1pm on Friday.
The naval men, who were in full uniform, angrily
stormed out of their car, descended on Vicky with the horsewhip.
Although Vicky’s boss was at the scene, he seemed
too petrified to render a helping hand to the policewoman.
A source said: “After whipping Vicky, the naval men
bundled her into their car and zoomed off. The horse whip welts were seen on
her face. Her mouth was swollen and her uniform dirty.”
It was gathered that moments after the naval men
abducted Vicky, operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), who were
routine patrol, drove to the area.
Vicky’s frantic boss signaled the SARS men to stop
and narrated the incident.
The source said: “The SARS operatives immediately
started chasing after the naval men. The incident happened at Mushin area, but the
SARS men chased them through Ojuelegba. On climbing the Ijora Bridge, SARS men blocked
them. The SARS men asked them why they abducted the police woman. When the
policemen didn’t receive a satisfactory answer, they attempted to forcibly drag
Vicky out of the naval men’s car.”
The argument between naval and policemen caused a
gridlock. If the SARS men pull the car door of the naval men open, the naval men
would slam it close. In the process, the door handle fell off.
The naval rating jumped out of the car and locked
the vest of one of the SARS men. They started struggling. Other SARS men ceased
the opportunity and tried to drag Vicky out of the car, but the naval officer
repeatedly stopped them. After a tug of war, the SARS men succeeded in pulling
Vicky out of the car, but her uniform tore during the pulling between naval and
policemen.
The naval rating, who still held one of the SARS men,
refused to let him go. The SARS operative punched him in the face, leading to
fisticuffs. The naval rating was said to have been beaten until he passed out
and slumped on the road.
The source said: “The news of the clash travelled
like wildfire. Policemen were alerted on air to proceed to the scene and do
everything possible to rescue the abducted woman sergeant. Police
re-enforcement started moving to the scene. At the same time, naval men and
soldiers started appearing from nowhere. Some of them stepped down from
commercial buses, moving towards the scene of the fracas. When the SARS men
noticed the growing number of naval men and soldiers, they started shooting
sporadically. They even shot and perforated the tyres of the car of the two
naval men.”
The shooting was so intense that motorists, fearing
it was an ongoing robbery operation, abandoned their vehicles and scampered for
safety. The SARS men drove to Command with Vicky.
It was learnt that since the incident, the SARS men
have been expecting a debriefing from the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Fatai
Owoseni, but he was yet to invite them. There has also been a graveyard silence
from navy and army.
When the Lagos State Police Command Public Relations
Officer (PPRO), Olarinde Famous-Cole was contacted about the attack on Sergeant
Vicky, he said the command was not aware of it.
While the outrage over the attack and attempted
abduction of Vicky on Friday, March 10, is yet to die down, another woman, a
civilian, identified as Ruth Orji was attacked on Sunday, March 12, by soldiers.
Orji was beaten in Odoguyan, Ikorodu area of Lagos
on March 12, after she challenged a soldier for slapping her brother. She
sustained several injuries as a result of the brutality.
The attack was said to have been carried out by soldiers
attached to 174 Battalion. Six soldiers are already being detained in
connection with the brutality meted out on Orji.
The Joint Legal Action Aids, representing Orji, has
already sued the military authorities, asking for N250million in damages.
Soldiers and naval men attacking women at whims appear
to be on the increase. In February, a Nollywood actress, Ebere Ohakwe was
beaten by a soldier on her way to Onitsha, leading to her being admitted in
hospital. The soldier, Sulaiman
Olamilekan was sentenced to 28 days imprisonment with hard labour and no pay.
The 81 Division of the Nigerian Army on Wednesday
said it had set up a Board of Inquiry (BOI), and detained six soldiers over the
brutality of Orji.
Reacting to the attack on Orji, the Division’s
spokesperson, Lt.-Col. Olaolu Daudu, said: “The alleged incident is highly
regrettable, even as the division under the Nigerian Army has zero tolerance
for inhuman treatment. Discipline remains the bedrock of the Nigerian Military
Profession. It is quite disheartening when such incidences occur even though
such incidences will not be treated with any laxity. Consequently, a Board of
Inquiry has been constituted by the Commander 9 Brigade, Brig.-Gen. Elias Attu.
This is to investigate the circumstances that led to the incident, determine
the level of the soldiers’ involvement, submit its findings and recommend
appropriate disciplinary measures which will be communicated.
“The brutalised lady has been taken to hospital
where she is responding to treatment. The six soldiers, names withheld, are
being detained in regards to the incident. The Division remains committed to
its tasks as part of the constitutional mandate of the Nigerian Army. The
Division continues to enjoin all to be law abiding and count on their support
and cooperation.”
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