How Army Reduced Beating of Abuja Man by Major General, Corporal to ‘Allegation’, Mere ‘Altercation’
The Nigerian Army described the brutalisation of Vershima Mker, an Abuja resident, by Major General G.S. Muhammed and Corporal A. Abubakar as an “altercation” and “alleged brutality” on Wednesday.
Onyema Nwachukwu, a major general and the director of army public relations, confirmed the army had seen the video but stated that the circumstances of the event were not clear yet.
Nwachukwu’s statement also referred to the beating as an “allegation of brutality” despite the availability of video evidence.
On November 11, Muhammed and Abubakar beat Mker in the presence of Lami Jennifer Iorvihi, his partner, for overtaking them on Gwarinpa Road in Abuja.
But Nwachukwu described the beating in a statement he released on Wednesday as an “altercation” with a promise to unravel “the true circumstances”.
The statement indicated no timeframe within which the investigation would be concluded and its findings made public.
“The attention of the Nigerian Army (NA) has been drawn to a viral audio-visual recording circulating on social media platforms, purportedly showing a senior Army officer and two other soldiers in an altercation with a man and woman within the Abuja metropolis,” Nwachukwu wrote.
“The circumstances leading to this incident are not clear at the moment. However, the Acting Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Olufemi Oluyede, has ordered an immediate investigation to unravel the true circumstances surrounding this altercation.
“The NA remains committed to serving and protecting all law-abiding Nigerians as enshrined in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“Therefore, we urge the public to be rest assured that due diligence will be applied to reach a logical conclusion on this matter.”
The press earlier reported that the soldiers brutalised Mker, giving him a bloodied face. His lawyer had now petitioned the army authorities for a compensation of N150 million and dismissal of the officers.
FIJ
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