When a Naval rating needs a backup to take a harmless soul over less than a dollar (N250).

Q: How much really does a life worth in Nigeria?

A: $0.6 (N250)

Brutality among the paramilitary and military forces in Nigeria is not something new, and it doesn't appear to be slowing down either. But killing a defenceless civilian in the process is a pure act of cowardice.

In a report published online by Punch on 24 August, the headline read: "Eight Lagos naval ratings torture peacemaker to death over N250."

The report stated how a peacemaker, Collins Osagie, was killed by eight naval ratings in an attempt to broker a peace deal between one Petty Officer Awosanya Olufemi, with service number X8921 attached to the CND Apapa Naval Base, and a trader at Okokomaiko area of Lagos State.

According to the report, the incident started when Officer Olufemi returned a N250 spark plug he had bought from a trader at Okokomaiko on the grounds that his mechanic rejected it. The officer wanted a refund of his money, which the trader turned down.

In an attempt to de-escalate the already tensed atmosphere, Osagie, who was only there to eat, offered to pay the rating back his N250. But the power-drunk officer would only see that as an insult to his person or probably his societal status.

A coward that he is, Olufemi called a seven-man backup to brutalize the harmless and peace loving Osagie, because he felt insulted of being offered his N250 by the bystander Osagie.

If he felt too big to have been offered back his change by a nobody, why did he have to call seven other ratings to brutalize just one man? This is just an abuse of power against someone -- a citizen of Nigeria -- they swore to protect.

This is coming at a time when a video is making the round on social media of newly released Army Cadets who, jokingly or not, brag about their powers and how they would use it on 'bloody civilians.'

These frequent brutality by the men in uniform, and the braggings of those cadets beg the question of what sort of training they were given before they were offered the uniforms. The constant brutality cannot be unconnected to their training.

They seemed to have been trained and wired against the 'bloody civilians.' Their power-drunk actions appear to have kept them in a constant feud with Nigerians.

Should this be normal? Were they not trained to see the defenceless Nigerians as friends to be protected against the enemies of Nigeria? Should there not be a code of conduct to be followed by every military or paramilitary personnel to enable restriction of force on those they should protect?

It would be nice if the orientation given to newly recruited soon-to-be uniform men be reviewed.

As much as they have to be trained to be tough and rugged in the face of daunting challenges, human right laws and respect for human dignity should be enshrined into cadet's training. It should be a major requirement for anyone wanting to be a soldier or a paramilitary personnel.

A good soldier should be conscientious to knowing who to protect and not. So, their conscience should not be drained while toughening them out.

The eight who brutalized Osagie and the many more like them in uniform are a soulless human. Even without a code, these cowards, who would not take on their own size, should have known when to stop the brutality, if they had any conscience.

It is high time their training was reviewed: We are not their enemies, we are the friendly ones -- the ones to be protected. Their foes are the faceless rag-tag terrorists in the Northeast. Their foes are the unidentified arm bearing herdsmen.

Source:
https://www.keycopies.com.ng/2020/08/when-eight-soldiers-kill-harmless.html

Foolish nigeria army when they see unharmed civilian that when u see them as Lions but to confront bandit, killer herdsman and boko haram dey will become puppies. Nonsense!