The abuse of a National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member by a female soldier in Calabar, the Cross River State capital, is a national shame. It is not only horrifying, dehumanising and unacceptable but also does not portray the Nigerian Army in good light. The woman against woman violence in an era of gender consciousness is highly deplorable.
In a video that went viral, the female soldier, Lt. Chika Viola Anele, was shown pouring dirty water on the corps member, Ezeiruaku Ifeyinwa Fidelia, who was on her knees, and smashing a bowl on her. Before the dirty water incident, the soldier had reportedly asked her to do press up and frog jump.
“As I was doing the frog jump, she asked me to kneel, then asked some corps members to bring stones and asked me to carry them on my head. She said it was when she saw tears dropping from my eyes that she would release me. When I got tired, I dropped the stones,” the victim narrated. The soldier also allegedly threw sand on her and cursed her.
The crime of the corps member, who was serving at the 13 Brigade Headquarters in Calabar, was that she allegedly engaged the soldier in an argument over small chops. According to Fidelia, what prompted the whole saga was that she saw one of her friends, who is an officer, at a competition hosted by the commander of the brigade at the barracks. She usually played Ayo game with the officer. As she greeted him, Lt. Anele allegedly emerged and shouted at her, saying she could not touch an officer who was in army uniform. Anele later invited corps members to a meeting where she purportedly brought Fidelia out and said it was because of her that she called the meeting. One thing led to the other and finally the water pouring episode. This is difficult to believe. Why no other officer came to the rescue of the corps member is still hazy? Simply put, there is more to this than meets the eye.
The resort to self-help in this particular case is reprehensible and abuse of power. It is a violation of the human rights of the corps member, who was in the NYSC uniform. The female soldier did not respect that uniform. She did not respect the fact that the young lady is serving her fatherland. Naturally, many Nigerians were outraged at this wicked act. Hence, some people have called for the prosecution of the female soldier.
However, it is reassuring that the Nigerian Army (NA) has condemned the action of the soldier, describing it as unacceptable and unprofessional. Director of Army Public Relations, Brigadier General Onyema Nwachukwu, said the soldier’s action was against the established precepts of discipline in the Nigerian Army.
Nwachukwu said: “Undoubtedly, the officer’s action has caused the NA monumental embarrassment and is highly regrettable. This unfortunate act of indiscipline does not in any way represent the NA and will not be condoned in its entirety. For the records, the ugly incident happened in 13 Brigade, Calabar. The Brigade Commander immediately instituted an intervention and the officer involved has been identified and sanctioned in the interim and would be made to undergo regimental orders (trial) in line with the extant provisions of the Armed Forces Act.” The Army also tendered unreserved apology to the victim, her friends and family as well as the NYSC and Nigerians in general. Thexresponse by the authorities is good. However, Lt. Anele must show remorse by personally apologising to the victim and Nigerians for her unbecoming behaviour.
Operatives of the Nigerian security forces are in the habit of brutalising innocent citizens. The United States Council on Foreign Relations said over the past year, at least 1,476 people were killed by state actors in Nigeria. Last year, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) said security forces enforcing lockdown in some parts of Nigeria killed more people than the dreaded COVID-19 pandemic.
In August 2020, some naval ratings reportedly gave one Collins Osagie a beating in Okokomaiko area of Lagos and he died in the process. Osagie was said to have attempted to settle a dispute between a naval rating and a spare parts dealer. He offered to pay the rating N250, which was the cause of the dispute with the trader. The officer felt slighted by the intervention of the civilian. He and his colleagues descended on Osagie and beat him to death.
On October 20, 2020, Nigerian soldiers allegedly opened fire on unarmed #EndSARS protesters at the Lekki area of Lagos. The youths were protesting the brutality of the defunct Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) of the police across the country. Before the protest and the eventual disbandment of the special force, SARS personnel made torture, extortion and extra-judicial killings their major pastime. Not long ago, Nigerian security forces had grossly violated the human rights of civilians in Odi, Bayelsa State; Zaria in Kaduna State and other places.
As regards the Calabar incident, we commend Fidelia for not retaliating. We also commend the authorities of the NYSC for promptly relocating the victim to Lagos State. Military authorities must ensure that the law takes its full course. They should investigate this horrifying matter and give the soldier condign punishment which will deter others from doing a similar thing in future. Let the Nigerian Army evolve effective strategies to improve the relations between members of the force and civilians so that the frequent brutalisation of civilians by soldiers should be done away with.