SOLDIER ASSAULTS JOURNALIST DURING TRAFFIC DISPUTE IN LAGOS
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By Aishat Momoh. O.
A journalist with TheCable, Olalekan Fakoyejo, was assaulted by a soldier following a traffic-related altercation in the Ogba area of Lagos.
Fakoyejo, the Assistant Business Editor at TheCable, said the incident occurred on Saturday while he was travelling in a tricycle from Ikeja to Ogba.
According to him, soldiers were managing traffic near Pleasant Event Centre, off Ajao Road, when a confrontation began after one of them attempted to punish a tricycle rider by ordering him to climb onto the roof of his vehicle.
Fakoyejo said he objected to the action, noting that it was causing further traffic congestion.
“The soldier was trying to punish a tricycle driver on a different lane… What he was doing was causing traffic, and I said this is causing traffic,” he recounted.
He stated that the soldier reacted by dragging him out of the tricycle, threatening him, and attempting to force him to report to other soldiers nearby.
“I refused to go, telling him I did nothing wrong… then one of his colleagues came to speak to me. As I was explaining, the soldier slapped me immediately I turned my face towards him,” he said.
A report by TheCable indicated that a video recorded by an eyewitness captured the assault, showing the soldier repeatedly shoving the journalist and attempting to strike him with a cudgel picked from the ground. During the scuffle, Fakoyejo’s phone fell and its screen shattered.
Passers-by later intervened, urging the journalist to leave the scene to prevent further escalation. However, as he walked away, two other soldiers reportedly accosted him and threatened to whip him before bystanders appealed for calm.
Efforts to obtain a response from the Nigerian Army spokesperson, Appolonia Anele, were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report.
The incident has added to ongoing concerns over misconduct by personnel of the Nigerian Army involving civilians, with some past cases resulting in injuries and fatalities.
In a related case reported in August, the Army faced public backlash following the death of Abdulsamad Jamiu in the Dei-Dei area of the Federal Capital Territory during a confrontation involving troops and fleeing suspects. While the military said the victim was caught in crossfire, his family rejected the account and demanded justice and a public apology.
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