Protest rocks Ikeja as man bleeds in hands of brutal Nigerian soldiers

By Rotimi Akinola

Kunle, as identified by a police official who wants to remain anonymous, was at Computer Village in Ikeja area of Lagos State around 4:00 p.m. on Monday.

He approached an engineer to help him fix a laptop. The engineer was going to do that when a Nigerian “soldier” in plain clothes spotted something.

“This is my laptop,” the soldier told the engineer and demanded to know the “owner” of the “stolen” ware.

The next one hour proved traumatic for Kunle who later groaned “I cannot walk” as he was soaked in his own blood after landing on the receiving end of serious soldier brutality.

Eyewitnesses told NewsroomNG they saw and heard the “soldier” pick his phone to make a call.

Minutes later, a man dressed in the sacred uniform of the Nigerian Army – a uniform given to those who have taken a solemn oath to protect Nigerians – appeared on the scene.

Spurred on by his plain-clothed “colleague,” the soldier descended on Kunle and beat him till he was bleeding heavily from a deep cut on top of his head.

That was when Computer Village traders, most of whom had been playing “observer,” told the soldier that would be enough beating for the day.

“We don’t even care if this boy is Boko Haram, you must take him to hospital,” our reporter who was at the scene overheard a trader shouting at the soldiers.

Then the police, who operates a mini station nearby stepped in. But instead of taking Kunle to hospital, they took him into detention.

For about 20 minutes, Computer Village “scattered” as traders protested and insisted the police must take care of Kunle.

“If this boy die here we go burn this place down,” a trader threatened.

“I have never met the boy before but the police must take him to hospital,” he said.

By this time, the traders where practically “occupying” the police station. The two soldiers were taken into custody, the police later told NewsroomNG. But some of the traders said the police were merely shielding the soldiers from “being dealt with.”

All the while, Kunle was being held at the police station…bleeding profusely.

The police spotted a trader who was filming the entire episode and attempted arresting him. The young man took to his heels. A top police official ran after him but couldn’t catch up.

A physically imposing trader who claimed to have paramilitary experience stood with the police officers insisting Kunle must be taken to hospital.

“I intervened when I saw the way he was bleeding from his head,” he said.

When the police finally bowed to pressure to save Kunle’s life they asked the protesting traders to provide a tricycle if they really cared.

Our reporter who questioned why the police couldn’t provide a vehicle was issued a threat.

“I will push you away, get away from here,” the official poised on arresting anyone who seen filming the chaos shouted. But our reporter insisted he would not move an inch, as it was obvious he was standing in public space. We’re grateful they didn’t pull a gun on him.

The police later took Kunle to hospital where he was treated but we’re not sure he is safe.

They said they also transferred the detained soldiers to their main station in Ikeja.

“We cannot hold them here overnight so we had to transfer them to the main station,” the official who had threatened our reporter later said.

“We have also reported the soldiers to their major,” he said.

“Kunle said he will not be pressing charges against the soldiers,” he said.

The police refused to identify the erring soldiers. We hope the Nigerian Army will do so and mete out the necessary discipline.

No one knows when Nigerians will cease to suffer in the hands of the men saddled with the responsibility of protecting them.

Many Nigerians say a lot of these men join the military so they could unleash this kind of violence on fellow citizens who “wrong” them.

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