Soldiers torch BRT buses over killed colleague
There was pandemonium at the Palmgroove axis of Ikorodu Road in Lagos on Friday, when soldiers trooped to the streets to vandalise Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) buses and molest passersby in order to avenge the death of a colleague who was hit by a BRT bus.
Eyewitnesses who spoke to TheCable said the soldier was only injured, but the Army subsequently issued a statement to say he died.
A witness had said the soldier was riding his motorcycle in the morning when he was hit by the BRT driver.
He said all efforts by the driver of the vehicle, the passengers and passersby to placate the soldier were futile, as he insisted on phoning his colleagues, who stormed the scene to wreak havoc on any available BRT vehicle and beat up BRT workers around the area.
At least 5 BRT buses conveying passengers as at the time of the incident were torched by the angry soldiers. The soldiers ordered the passengers out, as they descended on the vehicles.
Many abandoned their vehicles to run for cover, leading to a serious traffic that had stretched to Ojota as at the time of filing this report. Hordes of road users were forced to trek to their destinations, while pedestrians had to raise their hands to avoid the wrath of the military men.
“I initially thought soldiers had taken over until I moved closer to the place where they were setting a BRT ablaze,” a commuter told TheCable.
“How can they behave in such manner in this era? Will this action reverse what happened to the soldier? As disciplined personnel, aren’t their grievances ought to be channelled in the appropriate manner?”
Individuals who tried to take pictures were assaulted and their phones smashed.
Normalcy had not returned to the area when TheCable filed this report.
But spokesperson of the army in Lagos, Omale Ochagwuba, issued a statement to say that although the soldier was killed by the BRT driver, it was hooligans — not soldiers — who torched and vandalised the vehicles.
“This morning between 6:30 and 6:45am, a BRT bus knocked down and killed a soldier around Obainkoro area while on his way to the office,” Ochagwuba’s statement read.
“The driver of the bus took the body of the soldier into the bus and attempted to drive away. But when the other soldiers who witnessed the incident rushed to the scene, the driver of the bus ran away with the key. The soldiers then secured the vehicle, which was later toed away to safety in our custody.”
It added that “area boys” took advantage of the incident and started attacking BRT Buses.
“From observation, you will discover that, the BRT buses bunt are far away from the scene of the incident and that the BRT bus in particular that killed the soldier was not attacked nor vandalized and it is still intact. Our personnel were immediately dispatched to the scene to restore normalcy so that traffic could flow,” Omale said.
Similarly, minister of state for defence, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, attempted to douse tension over the incident, saying: “I have received news of the situation in Lagos. I urge Lagosians to be calm and peaceful.
“I have been briefed by the chief of army staff and I am aware some thugs in the area took advantage of the incident to wreak havoc. The military has taken necessary steps to restore peace and forestall further breakdown of law and order.”
This is most unfortunate. The action typified a society where Government is docile and everybody takes law into his or her hand. Could they have behaved that way in Maiduguri, Yola or Yobe States even if the insurgents killed five or more soldiers? The affected soldiers must be heavily punished and made to pay for the cost of the damaged properties. This is the height of impunity and arrant indiscipline in this Country.
Neither the Minister of Defence nor the Chief of Army Staff have any direct role to play in resolving the sad situation resulting from the knocking down of a soldier/motorcyclist by a Lagos State Govt owned BRT bus. The issue was for regular law enforcement to handle.
From the report published by The Cable News, one cannot deduce conclusively that the soldier in question actually died. But whether he died or not, the resulting rampage by soldiers ostensibly in bizarre support for the dead man, cannot be justified by any argument whatsoever. Understandably the army PR machinery quickly came out with what can only be termed a feeble denial, that its personnel were in involved. However, we The People cannot be fooled. Many of us were at the scene and hence do not need to depend on second or third hand reports of the incident, in forming or reinforcing an opinion we have held for a very long time. We have our previous experiences as guide.
Simply put, our military personnel seriously lack discipline, which failing is a sad indication of the low quality of the officer corps. These officers have what is akin to the power of life and death over the NCOs and men under their command. How they use that power is a different matter altogether. Hence the ratings can do ONLY what they CAN get away with! The deployment of soldiers armed with AK-47s is not a matter to be handled lightly. Much more serious is the matter of a soldier discharging two dozen rounds of ammunition during a patently illegal operation. When there is no accountability for issued ammo, is it any wonder that there is a flourishing market for the commodity all across Nigeria. Our officers in the military just have to make up their minds whether they are actually officers or not. In this matter, there is no middle ground.
On the other hand, the Nigerian Police should be allowed (strengthened) to do its work.. It is the hope of the long suffering citizens that the officers of the Nigeria Police Force will develop the spine to step up and accept the challenge that is constitutionally theirs. Oduche Azih
Oduche, weren’t involved you mean? Because that sounded like denial. I just hope military high command would handle this monumental indiscipline with all seriousness it deserves.