A reporter with TheCable, Olalekan Fakoyejo, has recounted an incident in which he was allegedly assaulted by a soldier during a traffic-related confrontation in the Ogba area of Lagos State.
Fakoyejo, who serves as Assistant Business Editor at the outlet, said that the incident occurred on Saturday while he was travelling by tricycle from Ikeja to Ogba.
According to him, the encounter happened near Pleasant Event Centre along Ajao Road, where soldiers were managing traffic.
He explained that the situation escalated after a soldier stopped a tricycle rider in another lane and ordered him to climb onto the vehicle as punishment, an action Fakoyejo believed was worsening congestion.
“The soldier was disciplining a rider in another lane and asked him to get on top of his tricycle. That action was causing more traffic, so I commented on it,” he said. “Although I was in a different tricycle, he heard me, pulled me out, and began issuing threats.”
Fakoyejo stated that the soldier attempted to force him to report to other personnel nearby, a directive he resisted, insisting he had done nothing wrong.
“He kept pushing me toward where he said his colleagues were. When one of them approached, and I started explaining what happened, the same soldier suddenly slapped me,” he added.
A video sighted by TheCable reportedly shows the soldier shoving Olalekan Fakoyejo repeatedly and attempting to strike him with a stick picked from the ground. During the altercation, Fakoyejo’s phone fell, and its screen was damaged.
Witnesses at the scene later advised him to leave to avoid further confrontation. As he departed, he alleged that two other soldiers stopped him and threatened additional punishment before onlookers intervened.
Attempts to obtain a response from the Nigerian Army spokesperson, Appolonia Anele, were unsuccessful as of the time of filing the report.
Incidents involving alleged assaults by military personnel on civilians have continued to raise concerns across the country, occasionally leading to serious injuries or deaths.
In a separate case reported in August, the Nigerian Army faced criticism following the death of Abdulsamad Jamiu, a member of the National Youth Service Corps, in Abuja’s Dei-Dei area.
While the Army stated that he was caught in crossfire during an exchange with fleeing suspects, his family disputed the account and called for accountability.
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