Vandalized BRT busesSoldiers in Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial capital, on Friday unleashed mayhem on the Palmgroove part of the city, in protest of injuries to a fellow soldier who was hit by the driver of a Bus Rapid Transit (bus).
The accident occurred some minutes before 9am, when a soldier riding a motorcycle was knocked down by the BRT bus.
“Everyone around the area begged the driver but he refused to listen. I didn’t see the soldier close enough to be able to ascertain the extent of his injury, but someone who could make a call to his colleagues in the military surely was not injured to a level where he could not forgive the driver”, he said.
He added that minutes after the call, soldiers in their dozens arrived at the scene and began vandalising all BRT buses on sight.
“Any BRT bus that they could lay their hands on, they set it on fire. I don’t think the buses they burnt were less than seven. You needed to see the flames that went up in the air”, he said.
“The BRT ticker sellers and their other workers were not spared as well. I’m sure some of them have never been beaten in their lives the way they were beaten this morning”.
The incident resulted in traffic gridlock on Ikorodu Road, stretching forward as far as Maryland, and backwards as far as Ketu. It also mean many commuters had to disembark from their vehicles and trek to their places of work and other destinations.
“This is rubbish”, said an angry engineer who had to abandon his vehicle and scuttle to safety to avoid the anger of the rampaging soldiers.
“Is this country so lawless that a group of soldiers can hold thousands of road users to ransom? Soldiers are supposed to help to maintain law and order. If they are the ones who are now breaking the law, it is such a huge shame”.
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Give power to the North and after eight years they will organise a coup. And from then on and for generations, this will become a daily occurrence in Nigeria. Trust me.
A COMPROMISED MILITARY HAS BEEN LET LOOSE
Hell was let loose in Lagos today when Military men went on rampage, burning several vehicles and destroying properties after a government owned bus allegedly hit and killed a soldier who was on a motorcycle popularly referred to as Okada which has been prohibited in Lagos state highways and express roads.
This has gone to prove that our once decent and gallant Military men have been turned petty. A compromised Military will not only do the bidding of the government against the people, but will engage in further lawlessness that will ridicule the government. This is exactly what played out in Lagos state today when Military men went on rampage, burning government buses and destroying properties after a BRT bus allegedly hit and killed a soldier on the prohibited “Okada” in an express way in Lagos. We have also seen on various occasions where the Military versus the Police or other sister security agents have been engaged in a free for all fights among themselves. These are things that rarely happen in the past. The Military is supposed to remain in the barracks in a civilian government.
The government has compromised the military and we are now reaping the seed of compromise. For the first time in the History of Nigeria, the wife of the president, Dame Patience Jonathan publicly lined up female Military officers in Abuja to campaign for her husband’s return to the presidency in 2015. Military women were dressed in their full military regalia dancing among many other women and men who were wearing different clothes customized with messages of Goodluck Jonathan campaign a midst campaign song and chants.
Recently in Nigeria, the entire military formations have severally been pulled out for an election. They have been deployed to victimize and maltreat members of the opposition political parties in a flagrant disregard to the constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria and the act that established the military. In several instances, the Military has been deployed to resist the programs of state governors in their states that are considered to be opposition states. A typical example, among others, is the case where the Minister of state for defense, acting on orders from above deployed soldiers to stop work on a site the Lagos state government was about to begin construction work.
The Nigerian Military has been made a lying mouth piece of today’s government. The director of Military information, the spokesperson of the Nigerian Police and Director of state security are as good as the spokespersons of the presidency and government. This has resulted in a Military that tell blatant lies to defend the inefficiencies of the government.
A typical case was when the Military quickly ran to the press to claim that the 247 abducted Chibok girls have been rescued. As at the last count, 80 days has past and the chibok girls are still in the custody of the Boko Harram. Another recent example is the arrest of about 480 people in Abia that were suspected to be members of Boko harem. The Nigerian Military again quickly rushed to the press to tell Nigerians that a top Boko Harram kingpin has been identified among the suspects and that there were evidences that some of the suspects are actually Boko Harram members. Today, the suspects have been released and they have returned to their homes. They have as well refuted all the claims by the Military.
You may also recall that security agents in Rivers state arrested over 300 people in almost the same manner and the same claim, yet they were later released and allowed to return to their homes. This is just to mention a few of the misleading, deceitful and false information that has been given to the Nigerian public by the Military and other sister security agents in recent times.
You may recall that at one point, a picture was circulated in the media where Gov Babatunde Raji Fashola arrested a senior military officer who was driving on a special BRT lane in Lagos. Many of our once decent, disciplined and cautious military men no longer obey the law as they now see themselves above the law, having been compromised by the government to do those things which are not lawful. The dog has eaten the bone hung on his neck after exhausting the bone of the goat. The Military has been shown the way of lawlessness and they now have learned to engage in further lawlessness.
The earlier we restored discipline in the Military, the better for all of. We must distance the Nigerian military from politics. We must desist from using the Nigerian military to achieve political purposes or fight political battles. A compromise military is a gun powder waiting to explode. When a man with the gun and trained to kill is forced to lose his rationality, everyone is in danger.
This is unbelievable. What us happening to our country Nigeria? How can the millinery be the ones unleashing this amount of chaos in the country? No wonder they have not rescued our Chibok girls. How can Jonathan Goodluck seriously want to win the election next year when he has failed in providing basic security to the country. We must vote him out. We must give our leaders a simple message: if you don't do well, you will be voted out!
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