The Acting Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Olufemi Oluyede, has ordered an immediate investigation into an alleged brutality by some soldiers.
In a statement signed by Director Army Public Relations, Major General Onyema Nwachukwu on Tuesday, said the investigation would “unravel” the circumstances behind the video, adding that the incident is currently “not clear”.
The statement read, “The attention of the Nigerian Army (NA) has been drawn to a viral audio-visual recording circulating on social media platforms, purportedly showing a senior Army officer and 2 other soldiers in an altercation with a man and woman within the Abuja metropolis.
According to him, the circumstances leading to this incident are not clear at the moment.
“However, the Acting Chief of Army Staff has ordered an immediate investigation to unravel the true circumstances surrounding this altercation.
“The circumstances leading to this incident are not clear at the moment. However, the Acting Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Olufemi Oluyede, has ordered an immediate investigation to unravel the true circumstances surrounding this altercation.
“The NA remains committed to serving and protecting all law-abiding Nigerians as enshrined in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
He urged the public to rest assured that due diligence will be applied to reach a logical conclusion on the matter.
Background
A viral video circulating on social media has depicted a senior army officer and two soldiers brutalising a man in the Abuja metropolis.
The army personnel identified as a Major General and his escorts, were seen assaulting the man for ‘overtaking’ their vehicle.
According to the 1: 57 minutes video seen by Channels Television, the man was seen groaning in pain and saying “How did I pass your car! How did I pass your car! Oh My God!”, while being brutalised by the soldiers.
Despite the pain, the soldiers did not hold back on inflicting more beating on the man, as the woman was heard shouting in the background, “He is not feeling fine! He’s not feeling fine! Jesus, Jesus, Jesus!”
The army personnel also attacked the female passenger for recording the encounter.
“Give me the phone! Give me the phone!”, one of the soldiers was heard saying while attacking the woman.
The video has since sparked outrage online, with other reports saying that the man is suing, and demanding N150 million compensation and the dismissal of the Major General.
