KWENU! Our culture, our future

The Wabara National Assembly and his security forces



Emeka Oraetoka
Garki – Abuja, Nigeria



oramekllis@lycos.com



Saturday, January 8, 2005



"It is absolutely irrational that the National Assembly, a law-making establishment, could be where innocent Nigerians would be intimidated by security agents on the pretext of  "order from the above."

--         Agonizing lamentation of a Nigerian  brutalized and stopped from gaining entrance at the gate of the 'White House' to listen to proceedings on 16 Dec, 2004.



On this day, 16th December 2004, the Chief Security Officer [CSO] of the National Assembly, Col. Emeka Okere [rtd] according to reports, supervised the beating, slapping and intimidating of innocent Nigerians that have come to the National Assembly, probably to listen to parliamentary proceedings. According to reports, disappointed Nigerians at the gate of the white house started asking questions about the desirability or fitness of this man -- Col. Emeka -- on this job, when under his nose one of his wards, supposedly a female police officer in mufti, slapped a fellow on the pretext that he was obstructing the entourage of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Alhaji Masari.



According to reports, more than three hundred people got stranded at the gate of the 'White House,' on the order of this chief security officer to the National Assembly. The excuse offered by the police at the gate was that they received order to allow only the staff at the 'White House.' Curiously, under the supervision of this man, many people, not staff of the National Assembly, had access to the 'White House.' Reports had it that those allowed in, apart from the staff, probably played ball with the security forces at the gate. When they, the officers, were reminded that National Assembly is a public place, and as such people who came to listen to proceedings from the gallery should be allowed -- since it is their legitimate and constitutional rights, they insisted that they were merely obeying "order from the above."



The political implications of the actions of this Chief Security Officer could be grievous to the Senate President, if this seemly small issue is not sorted out fast. According to sound minds, should political crisis crop up in the Senate, insinuations like these could arise: The Senate President has lost the moral authority to lead this distinguished Senate because he allows security officers to extort and intimidate those that come to the National Assembly to listen to proceedings. How can a law-making institution encourage the intimidation of people by the police and other security officers, at the gate of the 'White House,' National Assembly? they could ask.



The Senate President could embark on investigation to determine what happened to people at the gate of the 'White House' on this fateful day 16th Dec. 2004, even till the very day the Senate went on Christmas break, with a view to putting things right. The Senate President could also ensure the training of police and other officers at the National Assembly, so as to bring them to appreciate the meaning of parliamentary democracy, and how to relate with members of the society. For the Chief Security Officer of National Assembly, there is probably the need for a refresher course to understand the meaning of parliamentary democracy. Alternatively, the National Assembly could embark on on-line transmission of proceedings; if they feel that they could be sufficiently distracted by people listening to proceedings from the gallery.

http://www.kwenu.com/publications/oraetoka/wabara_security.htm

Good a thing the beatings, stripping and dehumanizing of Ms Okere by a Naval officer Harry O. is bringing out the dark side of the nigerian uniformed men, especially the navy. I do support the investigation of the inhumane act by col Emeka Okere and others that will be revealed as time goes on.

However, it will be so stupid of the poster if he is trying to justify the treatment Ms Okere got from Mr Harry cos of what his father allegedly did in 2004.

nuzo:

However, it will be so stupid of the poster if he is trying to justify the treatment Ms Okere got from Mr Harry because of what his father allegedly did in 2004.

Don;t be angry because because i went to the archive to get more information about Col Okere who said he had never been barbaric.
I never condole the act of the Naval rantings,but,yes it have never been better on both sides.Though i hate inhuman treatments but issues should be handled appropriately.Its a civil issue and such be handle as such.

Don;t be angry because because i went to the archive to get more information about Col Okere who said he had never been barbaric.
I never condole the act of the Naval rantings,but,yes it have never been better on both sides.Though i hate inhuman treatments but issues should be handled appropriately.Its a civil issue and such be handle as such.

It's not anger but the title of the thread suggests otherwise. Why should she be subjected to such inhuman treatment because of her father? Are you nuts?

I agree with u Deepzone.

@Poster
Dont go digging up files to justify the babaric act committed by those imbeciles. Or do you want to tell me that you should be jailed becos of all the sins your father committed in his life time.

Please, let us be realistic here, evil is evil. And one man's evil shouldnt be poured upon another becos they are merely related.

Brownbonno, I honestly felt that by your address you should know better to give us such a post. I just don't want to gos further, No the post shouldn't have been made.

All,

I brought out this post as a reaction to Col Okere(rtd) interview reported on today's daily.

“If a senior officer of the level of an admiral, whose boys did the battering and he was watching, that person should not wear the rank he is wearing. Because it takes a lot; a rear admiral is equivalent to a major general; if you cannot control six ratings at his level, then I don‘t think he is fit to be an admiral.''[color=#000099][/color]



Assault: Admiral not fit to hold rank –Victim’s father
By Oluwole Josiah, Abuja
Published: Tuesday, 11 Nov 2008
The father of the victim of the naval ratings‘ brutality in Lagos, Col. Emeka Okere (rtd), has said that the conduct of Rear Admiral Harry Arogundade was unbecoming of a military officer of his rank.

Skip to next paragraph

Photo file
The victim of the recent naval ratings’ assault, Miss Uzoma Okere

He criticised the naval officer for watching his men beat and strip his daughter, Uzoma.

Okere, the Sergeant-At-Arms of the National Assembly, in an exclusive interview with our correspondent on Monday in Abuja said that all he wanted was justice, irrespective of who was involved.

He also said that claims that he tendered apologies to the admiral when he spoke to him on the phone was unfounded.

He said, “The issue of apology cannot come up because it is something I did not witness. I was in Abuja here and she was in Lagos; I just saw my daughter‘s name as my phone rang.

“She was not the one that initiated the call; and I tried to speak to her, it was impossible. I was only hearing her crying from a distance, ‘leave me alone, leave me alone, I have done nothing.‘

“Apparently, it appeared to me that she was besieged by some people. Her friend who held the phone told me that she was being beaten by some naval people, that was when I pictured what was happening.”

He said Arogundade had painted a very wrong picture to him about what was happening.

Okere said, “He tried to tell me that he knew me, that I was his senior; but I told him it was not the issue, but that somebody was distressed.

“How can I apologise for somebody being beaten, even beaten to death; where on earth would such a thing be done?

“If a senior officer of the level of an admiral, whose boys did the battering and he was watching, that person should not wear the rank he is wearing. Because it takes a lot; a rear admiral is equivalent to a major general; if you cannot control six ratings at his level, then I don‘t think he is fit to be an admiral.

“Yes, because he watched the whole drama unfold and he was in a position to control the incident; he would have told the boys to stop the act, knowing that they were under the public glare.

“People were watching; I am sure if that person did not use his secret camera to take the pictures, everything would have been denied. I did not know that the battering was to that extent.”

Okere added that the fact that the admiral knew him and they were colleagues should have caused him to end the matter quickly.

“So there was nothing he did to show any relationship. I read in the papers where he said I taught him in the military school and that we were colleagues and so on, but the espirit des corps was completely missing,” he said.

He also disputed the notion that it was a military culture to deliver corporal punishment to civilians at any time there was a disagreement with them.

He added that no right- thinking officer would maltreat a civilian he was being paid to protect.

He said, “I wore the uniform for so many years; and I don‘t think I went out of my way to humiliate anybody. The mere fact that you are in uniform should make you humble because you are one out of so many.”

http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art200811112194587

Brownbonno stop pushing this point there is just no need for that,
Let me ask have you watched the video? If no please do, father
or mother has nothing to do with this. It is no the Rear admiral to
do what he he did, let's perish this point.
bye

Truequest:

Brownbonno stop pushing this point there is just no need for that,
Let me ask have you watched the video? If no please do, father
or mother has nothing to do with this. It is no the Rear admiral to
do what he he did, let's perish this point.
bye

I have watched the video several times and i feel sorry for the young girl.
But the point is  ''what goes around comes around''.We should be humane to each other no matter our positions.It is a sin and will certainly go round or come around.

In as much as I think what the admiral did is wrong and totally unjustified, I think the poster is very right to bring to the lime light what the Victim's father did in 2004 because he had the guts to criticize others and say they are not worthy of their ranks.

Yes, Uzoma should take this case to any length and justice should take it's full course, but people like Harry, including Okere; Uzoma's dad should be made to pay for their sins! Since Okere knows that he's not any better, he should keep quiet and let the case be handled appropriately. I mean, let the pot not call the kettle black!

brownbonno:

I have watched the video several times and i feel sorry for the young girl.
But the point is  ''what goes around comes around''.We should be humane to each other no matter our positions.It is a sin and will certainly go round or come around.

Yes, I understand your point and I agree with it somewhat. But:
*Are you saying that if it isn't true "that what goes around comes around" then it's okay to treat fellow humans inhumanely?
*Are you saying the only reason we should treat fellow humans with respect and dignity is to prevent "it" from going around and coming back to us?

Answering in the affirmative doesn't really weaken your point, although, it may sometimes be interpreted as a bit self-serving.

Personally, I object to the inhumane treatment of humans as matter of fundamental principles. I believe all humans should be treated fairly and I consider that belief to be axiomatic.

In summary, even if it is not true "that what goes around comes around", I'll still have a solid argument against the inhumane treatment of Uzoma Okere.

Thanks.

@poster
dont you get it?its not and never has been about the girl,its about official high handedness and the fact that nigeria has degenerated to the extent where men in uniform will strip a lady naked in public and broad daylight that is the issue here,the girl might very well be baba sikira's daughter,mr michael's wife or whoever,personally i dont know much about the girl toher than the snippets i have read here and there and im really not interested in doing so but ill continue to condemn these gys callous and inhuman acts, we nigerians complain of bad leadership yet some of us will stand there and continue justifying what is wrong,if people like you and the others who are not even the rear admiral's family or friends can come here withall these rubbish,i guess we shouldnt be suprised if the man and his family/friends tell the girl and nigerians to go to hell, pls lets learn from the western world as we r not animals

It will be interesting IF the issue raised by the OP here be recalled and properly investigated. Admiral Arogundade and his rants should be punished for what theyy did to Ms Okere, also, Col. Emeka Okere should also be investigated (and punished if found guilty) on the National assembly issue.

All,

My reasoning behind this post is to bring to light that Col Okere has never being a saint as he profess to be.
I am not in any way or form in support of the brutality melted on the innocent young girl.And i encourage a civil suit against the culprits.
On the hand,nation building is not just for one person,it is a collective responsibility and Col Okere is not free from this dehumaning behaviour which is a bane of our nation Nigeria.
Nigeria cannot fight corruption if we want to the tribalitic and sentimental in all cases,abuse of official power is corruption and Col Okere is a corrupt man.

@ poster

Thanks for the info. I totally agree with you. how many innocent civilians military guys dey beat up everyday for oshodi and iyana ipaja, just because the girl is from a rich home everybody dey shout. i beg make we hear word, by the time this thing happen to more high profile people. They will do something about the problem. I pray we realise this before its too late.

edgecution:

@ poster

Thanks for the info. I totally agree with you. how many innocent civilians military guys dey beat up everyday for oshodi and iyana ipaja, just because the girl is from a rich home everybody dey shout. i beg make we hear word, by the time this thing happen to more high profile people. They will do something about the problem. I pray we realise this before its too late.

That is my point,we should call spade a spade.In less that a week the President of Nigeria has issued a memo authorising CDS for an investigation.This is not a  case against the state,but against an individual which can only be properly addressed by the judiciary.What do we expect of the outcome of the investigation ?
This is purely a personality issue,the presidency has not been able to guarantee security for her citizens,but was very quick to issue a memo to the CDS.How many memo has he issued to the IG on the ravage of armed robbers in Nigeria ?


@lucabrasi,

Usually i do appreciate your posts here on NL,but i am on this occasion disappointed that you are only being economical here.I only brought this post just to clear a Grey area on the precedent  of Col okere as a collaborator of inhuman treatment of average Nigerians.He did paint himself as a saint,which he never was.
In all fairness and equity,i totally condemn the act of brutality and its a lesson to all Nigerians that Karma do exist.

Of course the law of Karma is a universal law. Have you paused to think of what your Dad or Mum did that may haunt you too?

Let's be matured about this issue. While you may have any opinion about the beating incident and the presidency's capitalizing on it to flex weak muscles, do not forget that the main issue here is that we are pressing for "military personel beating up civilian incidents" to stop.

Even if the father denies any wrong doing at all and we "catch" him slapping people arround, the fundamental thing here is that if it is his own daughter's  case that will stop the humiliation of Nigerians, then let it be.

Thank God the case is drawing attention not because of who her father is, but because of Nigerians that have learnt their voices to condemn the soldiers' act.

Remember that in life, it is time and chance that happens to us all. I am angry and shouting because it could have been me or my loved one or even one of us, a nairalander, that this incident happened to.

We should learn, even though it's a bit hard because of the conditions over here in Naija, to appraciate people for who they are. That girl fought that fight for all of us. To collect that kind of beating is not beans. She fought them knowing fully well that she will be beaten. Are you not tired of being treated like rag in your own country?

My submission is that it's not only making a scape goat out of Arogundade that will solve the issue. What we need is a total overhaul of the Nigerian Military training system. In other societies, military men do not pounce on citizens of their own country, they are trained to fight the enemy. We have military men were trained at Sandhurst like the Sheik of Dubai, yet the only thing they can do here is to sit in their offices and issue punishment to their juniors.

While I don't doubt the law of Karma, I doubt if it has any part to play in this.

The lady could have been a victim of this same incident even if her father had never been in the military. Many Nigerians falls victim to such high handedness of members of the armed forces almost on a daily basis.
The Col Okere could have carried out the alleged acts at the National Assembly without necessarily having any lashback on any of his children.

I think both should not be connected in the manner suggested by the OP. While I agree with the argument that the Colonel might not be the saint he's painting himself to be due to his previous actions - this should by no means indicates any connection with what happened to Uzoma.  A title like 'Colonel Okere is not the Saint He's trying to be' or something similar might have been more appropriate.

My 2p. Regards

@brownbonno
you r not getting my stance,as far as im concerned while not speaking for any other person,i am only speaking up against MEN not a man not a woman or fellow girl then MULTIPLE MEN beating up a girl and proceeding to strip her naked, common now r you saying your dad,gran dad e.t.c have not done anything bad inthe past?so will you pray for that karma to be visited upon you?while i not excusing her father's behaviour in the past as personally i think they r all in the same league,one important fact you have over looked here which im suprised at is that,

the girl said when she was brought to the man,and the man spoke to her dad and realised they were course mates bla bla, guess what her father did?

TOLD HIS DAUGHTER TO FORGET ABOUT IT, imagine if you heard your daughter was stripped naked by 4/5 men in public,as a dad you wont care what the conscequences ll be but you ll seek re dress to any level possible,considering it was actually junior officers and not the rear admiral himself wouldnt the admiral have disciplined them in front of the girl if the man a fellow senior officer felt strongl about the humiliation of his daughter?
the moral of my preamble is that im sorry to say to me the dad sounds a tad irresponsible telling her daughter to forget about something as traumatic as that,if you had that kind of dad would you hope that is deeds be visited upon you?remember we cant choose our parents,and i wouldnt want my dad's deeds be visited upon me cause i dont know what he s done b4 or after i was born neither will you

@lucabrasi,

I understand your point and have always relied on your intelligence here on NL.The caption of my thread maybe the cause of this confusion but the content speak for itself.
Lets deal with these issues in isolations
-Ms Okere,she is an ordinary citizens humiliated by the uniform boys which,with all sincerity i condemn it in totality.
-Col Okere rtd,is never a saint as he profess in the above published interviews and that his past deed have brought this shame to himself(humiliation of the daughter)
-R.admiral Harry Arogundade and his boys should be reprimanded for their shameful behaviour.

And as a preacher of "good will" i was advising that people should be careful when exercise power in a position of authority for the sake of Karma.And from the Col Okere;s interview he has forgotten of the 2004 incident.

[size=20pt]While Harry Arogundade is investigated for the assault of Okere, Col. Emeka Okere should also be questioned about the incident at the National Assembly.[/size]

What the Naval officers did is very bad but not because Uzo is a middle to upper class person, Its because the military have no right in any form to hurt any civilian.

This should serve as a voice for the voiceless ordinary people, i had gone to a friend house b4 and i told the taxi who brought me to drive inside i knew her father was a military man but we were not in the barracks and the soldiers there instead of telling the baba (old enough to be my & their dad many times over) not to drive in they dealt him a slap so hard i had tears in my own eyes i was so sad i never went to her house again.

The story is that whether u are senator's daughter or u are just a taxi driver , U are a human being and have your rights and you must be protected from this ANIMALS IN UNIFORM, them Zombi!

^{ANY PRESIDENT,SENATOR ,POLICE, MILITARY PERSONEL ARE SERVANTS OF THE PEOPLE NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND,}

@Poster
Your perverted sense of justice, retribution, and revange is so primitive every lawyer, pyschiatrist, or even babalawo will marvel at your cockeyed perspective. Na wa for you-o!

Always a pity and pity it was.
The same old story. I do not think that since Nigeria claimed to be independent as a country, the Nigerian military have ever understood what their primary responsibility is.

Since i was born, i always hear and see how military men harrass and intimidate civilians in a country they are supposed to defend and pity enough the situation have not changed.

Enquires upon enquires, panel upon panel, commisson upon commision and then case closed. Life continues, the normal suffering and smiling.

The next time, in your very eyes the same appalling intimidation is melted out upon a civilian and life goes on. The media, the press makes the headline describing the abomination and the readers read in awe, with unbelievable eyes.

No be today i don dey here this kind of story . e don tey.

Fela said it all.

What can we the citizens do to change this babarism? Forget the system, it does not work. Stopped working long time ago. Ok it never worked.

Believe me, thesame military men that have once had an enquiry set up as a result of their misconduct are still the ones betraying their responsibilities because they never learned nothing.

For how long we go hear this kind story self? Me i don tire to hear am

@brownbonno
i totally agree with you on karma,and also for children of people in power to always have it at the back of their mind that one day their father will leav the post,that is what i and some others emailed to the admiral's daughter,however like i said before the issue has gone beyond the colonel,im sure you have seen one or two articles about the girl's dad showing the man is not to be relied on morally and he was only just speaking out now that nigerians in overwhelming numbers have started to stand up in support of his daughter,if you know anyone that was brutalised by the girl's dad then urge them to speak up as well as it will be a catalyst to addressing these issues once and for all