The Nigerian Army has arrested a soldier who lambasted the Lagos State Governor, Babjide Sanwo-Olu, for ordering the arrest of an army personnel and an okada rider driving against traffic in the state.
The Chief of Army Staff, Taoreed Lagbaja, confirmed the arrest of the soldier. He, however, did not reveal the identity of the soldier.
Lagbaja also noted that the behaviour of the soldier caught driving against traffic, does not reflect the Nigerian Army’s values.
LEADERSHIP reports that the Lagos State Governor had on January 2, 2023, expressed disgust after he ran into a soldier driving against traffic, popularly known as one-way on the Lagos-Badagry Expressway.
In a viral video of the incident, Sanwo-Olu could be heard saying, “Put him there; let your father come and rescue you. You’re telling me you are a soldier; that is the reason I’m going to lock you up, useless boy.”
Following the governor’s actions, several videos emerged on social media criticising him for his treatment of the soldier. One such showed an unidentified soldier criticising Governor Sanwo-Olu for labelling a fellow soldier as “useless” in front of civilians.
The soldier in the video appeared to defend his colleague against the governor’s actions, gaining widespread attention on Thursday, January 4.
On the several viral videos portraying soldiers criticising the Lagos state governor, Lagbaja said that most were fabricated. He added that only one authentic video was investigated, leading to the apprehension of an unidentified soldier involved.
The COAS mentioned that the Army has taken measures to educate soldiers on appropriate conduct in various localities where they are deployed.