Steer clear, ‘soldier-bikers’ are on the road!

Roads in Nigeria – tarred or not – are owned by the federal, state or local governments and are meant to be used by all Nigerians. If there was to be any restrictions on the use of the road, only the appropriate government can decide that, or that is what I thought. But about three […]

Roads in Nigeria – tarred or not – are owned by the federal, state or local governments and are meant to be used by all Nigerians. If there was to be any restrictions on the use of the road, only the appropriate government can decide that, or that is what I thought.
But about three weeks ago, on June 7 to be precise, I was made to realize that as far as road usage is concerned, some people have more right than others. And I learnt that the hard way. On that fateful Friday, I had no premonition that I would be coming across soldier-bikers, let alone become a punching bag to some of them, for the simple reason that we happened to use the same road at the same time.
I was on my way to Zaria from Abuja in the morning and decided to follow that Bwari-Jere road. Driving along expressway close to Lower Usman Dam on the road to Bwari way, I looked into my rear mirror and noticed a group of bikers coming. To be candid, I was impressed seeing the bikers lined up behind me. However, the one riding ahead of the other overtook me with his customized plate number bearing the word ‘SMILE’ on a high speed. I saw the rest who were at a distance of about hundred meters behind me. Using my trafficator, I signaled to them that I was going to overtake a slow moving vehicle in front of me.
I realized that the biker who overtook me was waiting at the Bwari junction. However, I did not have any idea that something was wrong, so I continued on the road and tried to drive past him. The next thing I heard was the sound of another biker on high speed from behind me. He blocked me and stopped me from driving past him. I tried to ignore him and continued driving behind him. The other bikers joined him to block me not to pass. In my mind, I kept on wondering what went wrong or what the bikers were up to.
Whenever I tried to overtake them, they kept blocking me. So I decided to relax a bit, believing that they will go and leave us, but to my surprise they encircled my car, making it to seem as if I was a fugitive who is on the run from the law.
The journey, which had been smooth all along, took a dramatic turn when we reached Bwari roundabout, very close to the military checkpoint. They all alighted from their bikes and instructed the soldiers conducting stop and search not to allow us pass, and the soldiers promptly obeyed their instruction.
Then, as if in a dream, the next thing I heard was a punch on my face by one of the bikers (I heard them later referring to him as SEUN). The man turned violent and started shouting on top of his voice; the other one came through the other door and forced my friend out from the front seat. He gave me another punch while still in the car before quickly removing my car key. He said that I should come out and allow him to park the car well. I refused, insisting that he should instead allow me to do that. It took a lot of persuasion and begging for him to agree to release the car key to me.
My friend, who was flabbergasted, asked them what offence we committed. They told him to shut up that he was in the car with me. He told them they were not being fair to us, again the man shouted at him saying “are you trying to justify what he did?”
One of them called me and ordered me to go under the car; I told him straight to his face that I wouldn’t do that. He was visibly angry at my ‘disobedience’ of his command.  It took the intervention of the lady we were travelling together with for him to be persuaded against forcing me under the car.
What really pained me was not the fact that I was physically assaulted, but the fact that, in my belief, I did nothing to warrant such ill treatment. Yet instead of being consoled, if not apologized to, they turned the table against me and made me to apologise to them for an offence I still do not know and was not informed about. I really wanted to ask for my offence at that time but the officer at the checkpoint signaled to me not to talk anymore. When I couldn’t resist asking what my offence was, he eventually told me that they were army officers and that I should not talk and create more problem. He said the best thing for me to do, he thought, was to keep quiet which I did, albeit not voluntarily.
After the dust raised had settled down, I went to one of them who punched me severally. I greeted him and told him not to be angry with me but that I really wanted to know my offence so that I would not commit same in the future. Apparently without an answer, he grabbed my hands and shook me, telling me to forget it that everything was over.
Constitutionally, I did not commit any offence because I was only driving a fully registered vehicle on what was supposed to be a federal road constructed for the use of Nigerians like me. Indeed, I have not seen, or even heard about, anywhere in the Nigerian constitution where it is said that a car shouldn’t drive past motorcycles simply because the riders are soldiers who were not even on any official assignment. My candid opinion is that they acted unprofessionally; and I don’t think any reasonable thinking person will behave the way they did.
It is only in Nigeria, and perhaps other third world African countries, that security personnel, who are being maintained using the tax payers money, will feel no remorse using their might and arms to inflict pains on those they were established to protect. Our security agents are quick to harass the weak, even as they continue to tolerate criminals who are sometimes known to them.
As human beings we are always encouraged to forgive those who wronged us, but deep inside me I will never forgive them for the following reasons: one, they didn’t tell me my offence up to the time they left; two, they punched me severally without any justification; three, they delayed me unnecessarily on my journey; and finally, they broke my eyes glasses. God will surely judge between me and them on the day when we will all be equal.