The Acting Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Olufemi Oluyede, has ordered an investigation on the brutality meted out on a civilian in a viral video that surfaced online showing two soldiers and a Major General attacking repeatedly and injuring a man and his wife for ‘overtaking’ a military vehicle.
In a statement signed by the Director Army Public Relations, Major General Onyema Nwachukwu on Tuesday, he 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.
“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.”
According to the 1: 57 minutes video seen trending online, 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 hit repeatedly with a metal object 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.
Reports online show the man suing for N150 million compensation for damages and the dismissal of the Major General
The video has since sparked outrage online, with new reports surfacing that the man is suing, and demanding N150 million compensation and the dismissal of the Major General.
The Acting COAS has however urged the public to rest assured that due diligence will be applied to reach a logical conclusion on the matter.
