Nigerians online have expressed outrage over a trending video showing cadets of the Nigerian Defence Academy blocking major highways in several parts of the country and insulting motorists in what appears to be a show of force.
The act, which is a tradition known as Plumming 101, is usually perpetrated by cadets during the Christmas or New Year holiday.
In a recent amateur video which was posted on Twitter by ‘The Herald’, about five cadets clad in military camouflage are seen causing a gridlock on a portion of an unidentified expressway.
One of the cadets is seen dancing ‘Zanku’ on the road while some agitated motorists are made to park their cars at the centre of the road and watch helplessly.
Another cadet is heard saying to motorists, “They cannot do anything. Their father! They cannot do anything. They can only wait… where is she, where is she? Something, something, something like that. Mu je (let’s go). Who is that bastard honking, are you a bastard? Your father!” he said.
In a second video posted by the Herald, cadets are seen shutting down Leventis Roundabout in Kaduna State, causing gridlock.
The insolent act was met with criticisms from a large section of Nigerians on several social media platforms.
A Twitter user, @Fieldaffidavit, said the government’s disregard for the rule of law had emboldened the cadets to abuse the rights of Nigerians.
He tweeted, “It started with disobeying court orders and nothing happened. Hence, there’s nothing wrong with blocking road. After all, ‘they cannot do anything’. Absolute power corrupts absolutely!”
Another user, @WaleAkinro, said the unruly behaviour of the cadets showed that the NDA as an institution lacked values.
“This is what happens when the academy itself doesn’t have values,” he said.
“I hope the Nigerian Army calls these guys in for serious disciplinary action. Our soldiers are well trained officers not some recalcitrant kids showing power on the highway by constituting a nuisance. The cadets of today will become officers tomorrow,” @kennygee_70 tweeted.
Yinka Ogunnubi asked the military to identify and expel the cadets because they could become worse when they become commissioned officers.
“What do you think these ones will do when they become full commissioned soldiers of the Nigerian Army? God help us. I hope they get punished. Nah! I actually hope they get flushed out,” he tweeted.
When contacted on the telephone, the Spokesman for the NDA, Major Abubakar Abdullahi, said he would respond later.
“Please give me some time to respond,” he said.
When contacted him five hours later, he did not respond to phone calls.
Theact perpetrated by the cadets takes place yearly.
In December 2018, some first year cadets of the NDA threw caution to the wind last week, blocking off a section of the Mararaba/Keffi expressway and holding motorists to ransom.
One of the cadets was seen in the video calling the civilians ‘bastards’, and asking them to surrender to his authority.
Not done, the young men said to be between the ages of 16 and 20 stormed a birthday party uninvited.
When the host accosted them, they asked him to hold his ears and jump in a squatting position repeatedly, a punishment colloquially known as ‘frog jump’ – Punch.
