Olalekan Fakoyejo, a journalist with TheCable, said he was physically assaulted by a soldier during a traffic incident in Ogba, Lagos State, on Saturday. The confrontation occurred while he was riding in a tricycle from Ikeja to Ogba, near Pleasant Event Centre off Ajao Road, where soldiers were managing traffic. Fakoyejo stated that he commented on a soldier forcing a tricycle rider to climb onto his own vehicle as punishment, saying it worsened traffic. The soldier, having overheard, pulled Fakoyejo from the tricycle, threatened him, and ordered him to report to other soldiers nearby.
Fakoyejo refused, maintaining he had committed no offence. He said the soldier continued to push him until another soldier intervened. While explaining the situation, the first soldier allegedly slapped him. A video reportedly captured the soldier pushing Fakoyejo and attempting to strike him with a stick picked from the ground. During the scuffle, Fakoyejo's phone fell and was damaged. Bystanders helped de-escalate the scene and urged him to leave to prevent further escalation. He also claimed two other soldiers threatened to flog him as he departed. The Nigerian Army spokesperson had not responded to requests for comment at the time of reporting.
A soldier allegedly assaulted a journalist who questioned another soldier's conduct, yet the army has not responded. The incident occurred in public, was reportedly captured on video, and involved a media professional doing his job. If soldiers can act with such disregard in plain view, the safety of ordinary commuters who speak up is even more at risk. The lack of immediate accountability raises clear questions about oversight in military traffic duties.
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