Monday, March 20, 2017

Naval officers attacked, beaten to coma after horse whipping policewoman



…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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