Military personnel attacks reporter from TheCable in road rage incident in Lagos

A disturbing incident unfolded in the Ogba area of Lagos State when Olalekan Fakoyejo, a journalist with TheCable, was assaulted by a soldier following a dispute over a traffic obstruction.

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Fakoyejo, who serves as the Assistant Business Editor with TheCable, recounted the events in an interview with PUNCH Metro on Monday, explaining that the altercation occurred on Saturday while he was riding a tricycle from Ikeja to Ogba.

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According to Fakoyejo, the tricycle he was in had manoeuvred around the Pleasant Event Centre, off Ajao Road, Ikeja, where soldiers were directing traffic, and another tricycle had attempted to do the same but was stopped by one of the soldiers.

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The soldier had punished the other tricycle driver by ordering him to get down and climb onto the roof of his vehicle, an action that Fakoyejo pointed out was causing a traffic jam, prompting the soldier to confront him.

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Fakoyejo recalled that the soldier dragged him out of the tricycle, threatened him, and ordered him to report to his colleagues, but he refused, maintaining that he had done nothing wrong.

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As Fakoyejo explained the situation to one of the soldier's colleagues who had approached them, the soldier who had been threatening him slapped him in the face.

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A video recorded by an eyewitness, as reported by TheCable, showed the soldier repeatedly shoving Fakoyejo and attempting to hit him with a cudgel, causing his phone to hit the ground and shatter.

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Passers-by eventually urged Fakoyejo to leave the scene to avoid further assault, but as he walked away, two soldiers confronted him and allegedly threatened to whip him, prompting bystanders to intervene and call for calm.

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Efforts to obtain a response from the Army spokesperson, Appolonia Anele, were unsuccessful, as she had not replied to messages sent to her at the time of filing the report.

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Unfortunately, instances of military personnel assaulting civilians have become a recurring concern involving the Nigerian Army, sometimes resulting in injuries or fatalities.

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PUNCH Metro had previously reported on August 27 that the Nigerian Army faced public backlash following the death of Abdulsamad Jamiu, a serving member of the National Youth Service Corps, in the Dei-Dei area of the Federal Capital Territory.

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The acting Assistant Director of Army Public Relations, Odunola Olawuyi, had stated that the troops came under fire from fleeing suspects, leading to a gun duel in which Jamiu was caught in the crossfire, but the victim's family rejected this account and demanded a public apology and justice.