Nigeria’s military remains barbaric, and arrogant in its interactions with citizens, blatantly disregarding democratic principles. As a proclaimed democrat, President Bola Tinubu must put an end to this culture of impunity among the military and security services.
Tinubu should begin with the Chief of Air Staff, Hasan Abubakar, and the leadership of the Sam Ethnan Air Force Base, Ikeja, whose officers outrageously and unjustifiably invaded a private business outfit, harassed, assaulted, and threatened workers and journalists.
In Nigeria, the military is contemptuous of citizens, although the taxpayer foots the military’s wage bill. Instead of acknowledging this, the military scorns the citizens and turns their weapons on them.
The Nigerian Air Force officers demonstrated this again when they stormed the Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company headquarters a week ago in a war-like invasion. This is an abuse of military force against a civil entity.
The savage soldiers brutalised staff, passersby, and persons on the premises. Their victims included innocent journalists from The PUNCH, The Guardian, and The Nation newspapers and other media houses.
The lawless officers seized the work tools of Dare Olawin, The PUNCH reporter, made him sit on bare ground, and threatened to shoot him if he said any word!
Twenty-six years into the Fourth Republic democracy, this is reprehensible.
The IKEDC had disconnected the base over an alleged N4.35 billion electricity debt. Reports stated that officers refused Ikeja DisCo staff access to the base to install prepaid meters. The disconnection and the proposed installation of meters led to the invasion by NAF officers.
The Committee to Protest Journalists stated that at least 56 journalists were assaulted or harassed by security forces or unidentified citizens while covering the 2024 #EndBadGovernance demonstrations in the country.
The Nigerian military is notorious for human rights violations, despite its denials.
The military retaliated against the killing of 17 soldiers in the Okuama community by laying siege there, setting homes ablaze, and arresting its community leaders in March 2024. The Okuama leaders were detained for a prolonged period without trial.
In August 2023, the military beat up 15 LASTMA officials for apprehending military personnel for traffic violations in Lagos.
In February 2023, soldiers without name tags stormed the Ogijo Police Station in Ogun State and set the station ablaze. The incident reportedly occurred after an altercation between a police officer and a soldier.
The Odi massacre is still fresh in the memory. In 1999, military troops invaded Odi. They slaughtered 900 unarmed civilians and levelled houses in the community. In 2013, a court ordered the Federal Government to pay the community N37.6 billion in damages.
The military did not learn its lessons. In 2021, troops invaded Zaki-Biam in the Taraba-Benue borders and massacred over 200 unarmed Tiv civilians.
The military is still living in denial that it attacked the peaceful #EndSARS protests by youths against police brutality in October 2020 at the Lekki Tollgate in Lagos.
The military has no excuse for its lawlessness. In May 2013, two Nigerians hacked Lee Rigby, a British Army soldier to death in front of the Woolwich barracks, London. It was the police that attended the case and charged it to court. The military should learn this lesson.
The DisCos have disconnected other public entities over unpaid bills. If the base is aggrieved over its electricity bill, it should go to the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission or the court, it should stop its lawlessness.
We advise the brutalised journalists to resort to litigation. The courts awarded Uzoma Okere N100 million in 2010 after she was beaten and stripped naked by Naval officers attached to Harry Arogundade in Lagos traffic.
Without proper retribution, the military will continue in its lawless acts against defenceless citizens. This must start at the highest levels of the military.
The ball is in Tinubu’s court.
