Outrage from Nigerian junior Soldiers as Sanwo-Olu faces backlash for Soldier’s arrest

Incident videos capturing junior-ranking military personnel expressing anger and hurling abuses at Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu have surfaced. The outburst follows the governor’s involvement in the arrest and verbal altercation with a soldier who was driving against traffic in the state.

In the viral footage, Governor Sanwo-Olu was witnessed instructing his security details to apprehend motorcyclists reportedly flouting traffic rules. However, one of the detained individuals identified himself as a soldier while being dragged into the security vehicle. The visibly angered governor sternly ordered the arrest of the soldier, stating, “Arrest him, arrest him! Take him into your vehicle, you are telling me you are a soldier, and that is more reason I am going to lock you up. Get inside there, useless boy! You are telling me you are a soldier.”

The soldier, expressing remorse, was heard saying, “I am sorry, sir.”

The governor’s actions led to discontent among the rank and file of the army, with soldiers expressing their displeasure at the governor’s derogatory remarks about the detained soldier. In videos circulating online, soldiers condemned the governor’s characterization of the soldier as “useless,” emphasizing that the arrested soldier had served the country and even sustained injuries in the process.

In one of the videos, an unidentified soldier voiced his frustration, saying, “You are calling a soldier useless, but when you want to do your dirty work, you use the soldiers.” The incident has sparked a heated debate, shedding light on the complexities of interactions between law enforcement and military personnel.