[VIDEO] Soldiers torture lawyer who accused them of causing gridlock

A video showing Lagos-based lawyer, Olajide
Sipe being tortured by some soldiers on the 7th
Avenue, FESTAC Town, Lagos State has emerged.

The video shows the soldiers punching and
hitting the lawyer on the floor.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvHl2otK134

The soldiers were reported to have stopped a
bus on the the road.
Olajide was said to have advised one of the
officers to park the bus by the roadside to free
up the gridlock they created.

As he drove off, the soldiers reportedly
mounted a motorcycle and began to chase him.
It was said that they shot at him, but the bullets
hit the car’s back tyres.
They were said to have waylaid him on 72 Road,
where they tortured him, rendering him
unconscious.

Narrating his ordeal to PUNCH Metro, Olajide,
who is married with a child, said his only
mistake was that he advised the soldiers.

He said, “I went to buy bottles of water for my
family and on my way back, I got to Mobil Filling
Station and I discovered there was traffic, which
was caused by a bus on the road.

“A solider stood in front of the bus and was
telling the driver something. I was in my car
when I advised him that he could have asked the
driver to park by the roadside, instead of
inconveniencing other road users.
“He asked who I was to advise him. I told him I
was only trying to give a solution, but he started
drawing closer to me with his gun. I was
alarmed.

“Another officer stood at the front of my car and
started kicking one of its headlights. He had a
jerrycan in his hand with which he smashed my
windscreen. As I drove off, I saw that they had
become four and had mounted a motorcycle
and were chasing me. I was afraid.

“When I got to 7th Avenue, I made a U-turn, but
because they were coming with speed, they
couldn’t do that. I looked back and saw one of
the soldiers, kneeling down and aiming his gun
at me. He shot at my car twice. The bullets
deflated the two back tyres.”
He said he pulled up and came down to pacify
them, adding that the men pounced on him.
A witness, who did not identify himself for
security reason, said the officers would have
killed the Ogun State indigene but for the
intervention of a senior military officer.

He said, “What caught people’s attention were
the gunshots. They used planks to hit his head
and one of them carried a big stone to smash
his skull.

“He was stabbed two times in the body. One of
them wanted to use a dagger to cut him when a
military officer, who was passing by, intervened.
He showed them his ID card and that was when
they left him. As they were going, they
vandalised his car.”

It was learnt that residents, who knew the
victim, rushed him to the Mercy Gate Hospital, a
private medical facility in the area.

The Medical Director of the hospital, Dr
Solomon Ekundayo, said the victim sustained
serious injuries.

He said, “When he was brought in, he was in a
bad state; he had lacerations in the head,
including one that was very deep. He was also
traumatised, while his face was drenched in
blood.

“We had to admit him and do everything
possible to stabilise him and suture the
lacerations. We will still need to investigate and
ascertain the state of his internal organs.
Injuries like this can affect the liver and other
organs of the body and even the brain. We also
plan to do a CT scan of the brain to find out the
extent of the injuries to his brain.”
Our correspondent gathered that the victim,
who initially lost consciousness, later gave the
contact of his family members.

The case was said to have been reported at the
FESTAC Police Division.

A family member, Bunmi, asked the
government to give justice to his brother, saying
the officers should be fished out and punished.
He said, “Those officers wanted to kill him. They
were posted to the 7th Avenue to check
activities of pipeline vandals; they had no
business at any filling station. We want them
fished out for punishment.

“We also want the military authorities to clear
my brother’s medical bills, repair his car and
compensate him. The case should not be swept
under the carpet.”

The Police Public Relations Officer, SP Dolapo
Badmos, confirmed the incident, adding that the
police had started investigations.

She said, “We got a report that one Olajde Sipe,
who lives in FESTAC Town, was attacked by four
unidentified men in army uniform on 72 Road,
FESTAC Town. Efforts are ongoing to trace the
alleged soldiers.”

Our correspondent gathered that a lieutenant,
identified as A.I. Sadi, denied that the officers
were the ones guarding pipelines in the
community.

A source said, “But, we think he was trying to
cover up for them because they were on illegal
duty. The victim said he can recognise at least
two of them.”

The Deputy Director, Army Public Relations, Lt.
Col. Kingsley Samuel, said the army had got in
touch with the victim and was making efforts to
apprehend the culprits.

He said, “We are in touch with the victim and he
has given us the details of what happened. We
have started our investigations and will ensure
that the culprits are punished. Nobody is above
the law.”

Source: The Punch