THE alleged brutal physical assault meted out on an intending couple, Vershima Mker and Lami Iorvihi, by G.S. Mohammed (a major-general) and his aides, in the Federal Capital Territory recently is one more exhibition of the military?s impunity. If proven, the general should be prosecuted, and the victims duly compensated.

According to media reports, the incident occurred in Abuja after Mker struggled to park his car to avoid running into roadside traders on Third Avenue, Gwarimpa Road with Mohammed?s convoy and sirens blaring from behind. When he parked, the officer and his aides allegedly accosted the couple, dragged them out of their car, handcuffed them and shoved them into the trunk of a vehicle. This is barbaric. He is not a court of law.

In their petition, the couple alleged that they were beaten, and unlawfully detained at the Gwarinpa Police Station where Mohammed compelled them to write an apology to him under duress before they were released. Mker reportedly sustained an eye injury and Iorvihi had a fracture due to the assault.

In a petition filed through their counsel, the couple are seeking the immediate dismissal of the military officer and his escorts, along with the sum of N150 million as compensation for their inhuman treatment.

The case must not end up unresolved. While the Nigerian Army has stated that it has set up a probe, it should ensure that all the officers culpable are punished so that officers can purge themselves of the brutal approach towards civilians.

The sheer cruelty and impunity unleashed by the military on unarmed persons whom they derogatorily call ?bloody civilians? reeks of military dictatorship though Nigeria transitioned into a democratic system of government in 1999.

Time and again, Nigerians are mistreated and dehumanised by the military over perceived offences, without a self-introspective move to reform itself and jettison its overreaches of power.

In June, power-drunk soldiers brutalised an assistant director at Command Secondary School, Iyana Ipaja, Lagos. This led to protests by staff members who demanded justice for their colleagues being harassed by soldiers.

In March, a mentally unstable resident of Nasarawa State, Gabriel Bafu, was brutally beaten by the Nigerian Army patrol team enforcing a curfew in Eggon. Bafu was reportedly beaten to a state of unconsciousness and later dumped at the entrance of his family residence where he died.

On several occasions in Lagos, the military has descended on civilians and police officers with devastating consequences. In October 2005, soldiers from the nearby Abalti Barracks burnt down the Ojuelegba Police Division over a minor traffic offence. They razed 60 vehicles. Four persons died.

In January 2011, soldiers invaded a Badagry police station in a revenge mission. They murdered the divisional police officer, the divisional crime officer and eight others.

A court fined Harry Arogundade (a rear-admiral) N100 million for brutalising Uzoma Okere in Victoria Island, Lagos, in 2008. Arogundade?s naval aides stripped Okere from the waist up in broad daylight for allegedly blocking the admiral?s convoy.

It must be emphasised, that nobody, not even the military, has the power to take laws into its hands. Only the court can pronounce judgement over an offence, and it is time Nigerian soldiers know the limits of their powers in a democratic sphere. If there are violations by civilians, they should be handed over to the police for prosecution, and not whipped or killed by soldiers!

The overbearing meddlesomeness of the military in civilian matters should be stopped. The military needs to reorientate its officers on proper civilian engagement and civil rights. The military needs to commit itself to ensuring that officers who violate civilians are investigated and tried in court, and their victims compensated. (The PUNCH Editorial)

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