A Nigerian soldier has landed in serious trouble after he brutally killed a motorcycle rider during a disagreement.
Abu Alhaji
A Nigerian soldier identified as Sergeant Taiwo has allegedly beat a
25-year-old commercial motorcyclist, Abu Alhaji to death after hitting
the Okada rider with his car. Taiwo, aka Sir T, lives in Myyong Army
Barracks, Yaba, and is reportedly in detention in the barracks.
According to Punch, the motorcyclist, father of a six-month-old
child, was said to have taken a woman, who wanted to buy snacks, to an
eatery in the Morroco, Shomolu area, while the soldier parked his Toyota
Camry on the premises.
It was gathered that Abu was waiting to take the passenger back to
her destination when Taiwo, who had gone to a beer parlor opposite the
eatery, came back to pick his car. As Taiwo tried to reverse to exit the
premises, the vehicle hit the back of the victim’s motorcycle.
While Abu was struggling witht the motorcycle, the woman arrived at
the scene. An eyewitness, Bolaji Oke, said the woman quickly hit the
body of the car to alert the soldier not to run over Abu, who was still
battling with the motorcycle.
“The soldier came out of his car and slapped the motorcycle
rider repeatedly. As the rider tried to explain to him what actually
happened, he descended on him with blows and beat him up. The passenger
fled in the process.
“The soldier beat the rider until he could not stand on his
feet; and he left in his car. As he was beating the man, he said nothing
would happen if he died. Everybody present was afraid to intervene
because he is a soldier. Somebody informed his younger brother, who
rushed to the scene. The case was reported at the barracks and the
victim was taken to the Military Hospital in Yaba around 9pm on Friday,”
Oke said.
It was said that the incident was also reported at the Alade Police
Station. People in the area said Taiwo was fond of intimidating people
because he is a military officer. He was said to have recently ran into
trouble with a Major because of his attitude.
Taiwo boasted that even if he kills the motorcyclist, nothing will happen to him.
He said, “Sometime in December, Taiwo slapped a man at the beer
parlour, saying the man was staring at him. In the end, it turned out
that the man was a major and he started begging him.
“After that encounter, he had a disagreement with one of the
women, who work at the beer parlour. He tore the woman’s clothes. I
think he should pay for this.”
Sympathisers thronged to the resident of the motorcyclist after the
incident. Distraught Abu’s elder brother, Adamu Alhaji, who lives in
Kano State where the victim hailed from, said he was relaxing in a
mosque after observing Ishai (8pm) prayer when Abu’s younger brother,
Shuaib Alhaji, informed him on the telephone that he had been
hospitalised.
“I took a night bus to Lagos. When I arrived around 11am on
Saturday, I was taken to the hospital’s mortuary. Abu died at about 7am
on Saturday. Shuaib travelled to Kano on Monday to look after our
parents because they have been weighed down since they learnt of Abu’s
death,” he added.
Adamu urged the army authorities to support the family to cater to
their ageing parents and the deceased’s nursing wife, adding that the
death was an irredeemable loss to the family.
He said, “Abu was hard working and generous. He sent money
every month to our parents and his wife. His son is just six months old.
The soldier does not deserve to be in the Nigerian Army; he should be
dismissed.”
The acting Deputy Director, Army Public Relations, 81 Division, Lt.
Njoka Irabor, said investigations were ongoing into the incident.
“We cannot actually say anything until investigations are concluded on the issue,” he added.
The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Dolapo Badmos,
who confirmed the story, said the command was working with the Nigerian
Army to ensure the prosecution of the killer soldier.
She said, “According to the information we gathered, the man
(Taiwo) was reversing his car and hit the motorcyclist. It generated
crisis and he beat him up. The motorcyclist fell and was rushed to a
hospital where he died.
“The case was reported to the police three days after the
incident. The command was able to reach out to the army. We got a report
that the man had been apprehended and the army wants to do the needful
so that we can also follow up on the prosecution.”
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