The Army and the law

Under normal circumstances citizens are supposed to give all support to an army that is engaged in operations in the field, but actions such as the destruction of state-owned property, and terrorizing of innocent civilians by soldiers in Lagos, are fast eroding public support. Viewed as both incompetent when dealing with our enemies, and inconsiderate […]

Under normal circumstances citizens are supposed to give all support to an army that is engaged in operations in the field, but actions such as the destruction of state-owned property, and terrorizing of innocent civilians by soldiers in Lagos, are fast eroding public support. Viewed as both incompetent when dealing with our enemies, and inconsiderate when dealing with the general public, it shows the sorry state the army finds itself in. Anyone travelling in and out of Abuja by road will testify to the interminable delays caused by soldiers at military checkpoints who at the end of the day achieve nothing except inconveniencing and punishing the general public.
According to eyewitnesses in Lagos, a soldier was knocked down by a bus when illegally travelling in the bus lane. Many are reminded of the widely published photograph of Governor Fashola reprimanding an army officer for driving in the bus lane. It isn’t difficult to believe that soldiers habitually break the law in this manner.  Despite being in the wrong the soldier (who eye witnesses say was not killed) refused to listen to pleas and instead used his phone to call his colleagues. Apparently it was this call that led to soldiers arriving at the scene. If they had taken the driver to the barracks to punish him it would have also been illegal but at least understandable, instead they decided to unleash mayhem at the scene.
The truth is that it isn’t only soldiers who have been killed by vehicles in Lagos, accidents are a daily occurrence and soldiers are not so special that they are excluded. Certainly the killing wasn’t deliberate. In such cases such, the law requires the driver be handed over to the police for investigation and possible prosecution if found guilty of negligence. Eyewitnesses report that soldiers forced innocent citizens to raise their hands in the air, as though in a war situation, and that in an orgy of senseless destruction, they went into nearby petrol stations, and obtained petrol which they then used to set buses on fire. Eyewitnesses further claimed that a Peugeot car with a tinted glass and a Nigerian Army plate number (which was quoted on the internet) arrived on the scene with two young-looking officers who surveyed the carnage before calmly departing. The presence of these unidentified officers made it clear to all and sundry that this was an officially sanctioned “operation”.  Any suggestion that the mayhem was carried out by a few disgruntled soldiers in the rank and file should be discountenanced because the “operation” lasted for well over five hours. As bad as things are, our army is not so undisciplined that soldiers could be so bold as to stay out of the barracks and on the streets for so long without authority.
Anyone who is familiar with members of the Nigerian Army will agree that it comprises two distinct classes of individuals. The officer class who over the years have become more educated, professional and better trained, and the rank and file who remain basically uneducated, ill-tempered, ill-disciplined, ill-trained and ill-paid. High ranking army officers don’t involve themselves in acts of indiscipline as they know the consequences, and stand to lose so much. Its junior officers full of their own self-importance, such as those sighted at the scene who co-operate with the rank and file to vent their frustration and anger on civilians through illegal acts. Unfortunately, at such a crucial point in time, instead of speaking with one voice, officials of Lagos State and federal governments as well as spokesmen for the Nigerian Army, are busy contradicting themselves.
Nigerian Army spokesmen are growing a reputation for failing to tell the truth, and it has now become the norm to take anything they say with a pinch of salt. Esprit de corps is all well and good, as long as it doesn’t involve shielding perpetrators of illegal acts.  Having initially denied the involvement of soldiers, army spokesmen are yet to comment on the person in military uniform captured on camera smashing the windscreen of a BRT bus. They claim that the GOC in response to the action by “area boys” dispatched military policemen to the scene to help restore law and order.  Neither the Minister of State for defence, nor the Chief of Army Staff visited the scene or interviewed eye witnesses, yet both stated that thugs in the area took advantage of the incident to wreak havoc and the military took necessary steps to restore peace and forestall further breakdown of law and order. Of course they could not explain why if there was a riot, there were no policemen in the vicinity?
And exactly which civil authority actually asked the military to intervene in the matter”? Their version of events is so much at variance with eye-witness reports and filmed evidence that it’s essential not to allow the authorities prevent proper investigation, by agreeing to a cover-up. In any crisis in Nigeria there are typically always conflicting reports, but in this case the ramifications of not finding out the real facts and taking appropriate action are best avoided.
The Nigerian Army must understand that their duty is to remain in their barracks except the government orders them to mobilize to war or to contain civil disorder beyond the capabilities of the police force and other security agencies. The attempt to whitewash the incident is disingenuous. An atmosphere has been created in which soldiers commit atrocities with the slightest provocation, no remorse, and the confidence that there is little chance of being caught. Two salient questions beg for answers. Firstly, are our army officers incapable of controlling the rank and file? Secondly are members of the Nigerian army above the law?