It was a scene that reminded one of the heydays of military dictatorship in Nigeria where soldiers openly beat Nigerian citizens on the streets of Lagos and other state capitals in the country. The only difference this time was that it happened when the country is supposedly in a democracy and not a military dictatorship.
Soldiers beat up a young brave Nigerian woman who challenged them for breaking traffic rules when everyone else was obeying them, almost killing her in the process.
This is the story of Adetoun Adenuga, a sales representative for a mobile phone company on Victoria Island who suffered a great injustice from soldiers attached to the Bonny Camp located along Ahmadu Bello Way, Victoria Island.
According to Adenuga who was able to identify one of her attackers through his name tag as Abubakar D, the soldiers beat her with a horsewhip and slapped her several times just because she complained that they drove against traffic, over sped and nearly killed her.
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The incident occurred as she was on her way to work around 8 am on Friday when she was almost knocked down by a vehicle as she was about to cross the street; the vehicle identified as a Volkswagen Gulf with plate number LSD 738 DL, was filled with soldiers who were driving against traffic.
Adenuga narrated her ordeal thus;
“I was about to cross the road when a car came from nowhere and almost hit me. The driver was speeding. I was able to escape from getting injured. I asked them, ‘Where are you rushing to?’ I didn’t even know who was in the car. They parked, then I realised they were military men.
I said, ‘Soldier, you almost killed me as you sped by.’ The speed was too much.’ They were three men and one woman, all of them in uniform. One of them said, ‘Come on; are you stupid?’ I said, ‘Oga, you are supposed to apologise for almost killing me. Do you know the shock of such an incident can actually take my life?’
They just came down from the car saying, ‘You must be stupid.’ I said, “You’re saying I’m stupid for challenging you for almost taking my life. So are you telling me you will kill me and run away?’ They were going against traffic on a one-way for God’s sake. They beat me black and blue. The woman did not join them. She was by the car. One came with a whip; the other slapped me. My head still aches.”
After her ordeal, Adenuga attempted to seek redress at the Bonny Camp but was denied entry into the military facility by a soldier who told her that she could not report about an atrocity committed by “soldiers to a soldier.”
She decided to post it on social media where she was advised to report the matter at 81 Division of the Nigeria Army which she promptly did. She continued further;
“When I got there, I was given a military policeman to follow me to Bonny Camp. They have gone to look for the car. I think some of them are familiar with the car. I have the number plate and I can identify the four of them. One of them that was beating me, I got the name on his tag. His name is Abubakar D.”
Adenuga lamented that it was disappointing that Nigerian soldiers who were sworn to protect citizens could unleash terror on her, insisting that they must me brought to book.
“I cannot be beaten in my country by soldiers that are supposed to protect my life, all because they almost took my life and I challenged them for speeding. I want them to be brought to book.” she said.