The Nigerian Army on Thursday said that it has set up a Board of Inquiry to investigate the brutalisation of a woman in the Ikorodu area of Lagos State.
PUNCH reports that the assault was carried out by a group of soldiers, attached to the 174 Battalion, Ikorodu, Lagos State. The brutalisation was supervised by one Major S.U. Obongha.
The Army, in a statement signed by Lt. Col. Olaolu Daudu, the Acting Deputy Director, Army Public Relations, 81 Division, said the erring soldiers have been detained.
The statement titled: “Alleged Case of Brutalisation by Soldiers,” read in part:
1. The attention of Headquarters 81 Division Nigerian Army has been drawn to the social media and Newspapers online reports on “Alleged brutalization of a female by soldiers”. The incident occurred in Odoguyan, Ikorodu area of Lagos state involving soldiers of 174 Battalion on Sunday 12 March 2017
2. The alleged incident is highly regrettable, even as the Division under the Nigerian Army has zero tolerance for inhuman treatment. Discipline remains the bedrock of the Nigerian Military Profession. It is quite disheartening when such incidences occur even though isolated will not be treated with any laxity.
Consequently, a Board of Inquiry has been constituted by the Commander 9 Brigade, Brigadier General Elias Attu to investigate the circumstances that led to the incident, determine the level of the soldiers involvement, submit its findings and recommend appropriate disciplinary measures which will be communicated. The female has been taken to hospital where she is responding to treatment while 6 soldiers are being detained in regards to the incident.
The victim, identified as Ruth Orji was said to have protested after the soldiers slapped her brother. This led to the soldiers beating her up. She said they seized her phone and took her to their barracks.
Ruth Orji
Ruth, who has been in a military hospital in Ikorodu since the incident on Sunday, told PUNCH that was being transferred to another hospital in Ikeja, the state capital.
“I don’t really have strength to talk much now. I am being taken to another hospital in Ikeja. The incident happened on Sunday. We went for a birthday party in a hotel in Ikorodu. As we were coming out of the hotel around 8.30pm, some soldiers arrived in a vehicle and started beating up people, including my brother. I begged them. They bundled me inside their vehicle and took me to their barracks, where they beat me up,” she said.
A rights group, Joint Legal Action Aids (JLAA), has also filed a lawsuit against the Nigerian Army at the Federal High Court in Lagos, demanding N250m compensation for the victim.
The General Counsel for JLAA, Kingsley Ughe, made this known in a statement on Facebook:
“JLAA earlier today (Wednesday), through its General Counsel, filed an action at the Federal High Court ,Ikoyi, Lagos to enforce Ruth Orji’s fundamental human rights and 250M compensation as damages,” Ughe said.
Photo Credit: Facebook – JLAA Global
Another black eye for the Nigeria Army. All Solders who participated in the maltreatment of this Woman (rank and file ) should be Court martialled and if found wanting of this offenses, be expelled from the Nigeria Army after completing their respective punishments. Secondly, The Nigeria Army should hand them over to the Nigeria Police just like any other criminals for prosecution.. A word is enough for the wise. I’m just saying.
Can you carry them to the North. Abi na lack of job to do. Is that why they are hurting civilians. Give them job o.
This is indeed a crime to humanity. How will some insensible set of soldiers beat a woman like this. she is not an animal! The Army usually misbehave and take power into their hands but this is just too much. Ah!!! Aiye ma le o…
Animals in uniform. So annoying. Atimes I wish we could carry weapons and defend ourselves from these beasts.
an average Nigerian soldier is brutal, they are power drunk!
The Acting Deputy Director, Army Public Relations, 81 Division, said the erring soldiers have been detained., now i am beginning to doubt all these press release. Cos if they are truly detained and adequately punished their fellows would learn and desistfrom brutalising unarmed civilians. Cos no one follows up on this cases, the 2 goats that beat and dragged the man on wheel chair in onitsha how far? Now this is a woman. How dare they. I mean how dare. I hope her lawyers are good enough to geT justice for her.
Wow…is that bruising? I almost thought it was a massive tattoo till I opened the post.
I don’t get it. What’s up with army people ? For what?
They need psych evaluation.
This is crazy.
Me too. I thought it was a tattoo. Wow!
Exactly ooo… i thought it was a huge tattoo. it must hurt like hell…
You know i dont understand how and why soldiers go to this extent of torturing women! Like C’mon!
u imagine seeing a man repeatedly steping on an apple; then burning it with a bunsen burner afterwards, meanwhile all the while he could have just eaten it. I can understand soldier rape, but why do her like this ?!
i understand that the yorobas among the nigerians are special sect of gruesomely annoying unbearable human beings…for reasons they choose not disclose…..BUT TO WARRANT YOU TO DO THIS TO A WOMAN ?!
i wish i,could understand the mind set of this people but i cant! Like u cant use her, after thiss! Am sorrry!
You “can understand rape”? That enough proves that you are no better than these animals. Smh
what if I call you ode now…
a mighty one!
Even I thought it was a tattoo. So sad!
Abeg shey dis woman no go die? Am so scare for her ooo. And hope she recover from dis cos I know it going to be hard to get back her skin ummm
People should know that Nigerian army brutalising civilians didn’t start today, they have be doing so and getting away with it. They made my friend go naked in uni some years back, It took the intervention of her highly respected professor dad to release her simply because she wore camouflage. Thank God for Social media, breeze don blow, fowl nyash don open. Beasts of a rotten nation!
This is attempted murder!
There is this popular belief that soldiers are brutal but believe me not they have among them well cultured ones, especially among the educated ones.
I hope they checked for internal bleeding because the force of the blows must have been so intense. What kind of beating will cause such extreme bruises. Thank God they did not cause damage to her beautiful face. I pray she recovers psychologically. My Lord, I am in tears. This is just too much. I am so sorry Ruth Orji.