Army GOC Batters Truck Driver, Impounds Truck
In what appears a throw-back to the Chioma Okere-Nigerian Navy assault and battery saga, a truck driver, Felix Nkemdilim, was last Friday brutally assaulted at Tin Can Island Port, Lagos, by armed soldiers allegedly on the orders of General Officer Commanding (GOC) Commanding 81 Division, Major General Keneth Minimah.
Minimah, who survived last month's shake-up in the Army, is one of the officers favoured to take over from Lt. General Azubuike Ihejirika as Chief of Army Staff later in the year, when the later moves over as Chief of Defence Staff.
Witnesses told Pointblanknews.com that trouble began for Felix, a truck driver, when his MAN truck accidentally hit an American-used unregistered Chrysler 300 car ostensibly just cleared from the port for General Minimah.
According to the witnesses, no sooner had the truck grazed the General's car than the soldier-driver and his colleague pounced on Felix, giving him a thorough beating.
The soldiers thereafter reportedly put a call through to their boss and hordes of soldiers stormed the port causing pandemonium.
The truck driver was consequently whisked away and has not been seen or contacted since then. A colleague-driver of Felix who did not want to be mentioned, said he overheard the soldiers talking about Obalende barracks.
He told Pointblanknews.com that the soldiers towed away the MAN truck, amidst curse words for Felix and Good Samaritans who attempted to intervene.
He claimed that the agitated soldiers freely used such words as "bloody civilian, bagger and " on Felix, as they hauled him in their truck.
The hapless driver's wife and family have reportedly been unable to see him let alone know his condition. Military sources, however confirmed that he was being detained in the guardroom, a detention facility for erring soldiers.
Attempts to get General Minimah's side of the story were unsuccessful as he did not respond to calls and text messages.
The Nigerian military is loathed by the public partly for the decades they clung to power and their scanty respect for human rights.
A few years ago, a Lagos High Court ordered the Nigerian Navy to pay N100 million as compensation for the assault meted on a certain Chioma Okere by Naval Ratings attached to their Flag Officer.
There have been several reported cases of deaths stemming from military brutality, particularly in Lagos.
Recently, the state governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola arrested an Army Colonel for driving against traffic in broad daylight.
Ironically, the same Minimah recently court- martialled several Army officers for driving on BRT lanes.
Army Chief General Ihejierika has constantly urged men and officers of the Nigerian Army to obey democratic tenets and submit selves to the rule of law.
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