Soldier criticizes Sanwo-Olu, defends soldiers’ right to drive against traffic

The Lagos state governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has come under fire from a soldier for ordering the arrest of his colleague and three other motorcycle riders for riding against the flow of traffic on the Lagos-Badagry Expressway.

The unidentified soldier criticized Sanwo-Olu for labeling a soldier “useless” in front of “bastard civilians.”

The soldier appeared to be defending his colleague in a widely shared video on Thursday, January 4.

It would be recalled that Sanwo-Olu, on Tuesday, January 2, ordered the arrest of a soldier and three other motorcyclists for driving against traffic on the Lagos-Badagry Expressway.

Sanwo-Olu was seen telling his men to put a biker who identified as a military into the car in a widely shared video, threatening to lock him up.

The soldier responded to the arrest by saying the state governor had no authority to detain a soldier, particularly in front of his barracks, as he felt his colleague had done nothing to warrant one.

He asserted that senior officers, not any state governor, are in charge of the army.

He said: “Did I just hear your governor calling a soldier, lance corporal useless? A lance corporal…This man broke his arm, they fired at the man. There is iron in his hands.

“You are calling a soldier useless in front of those idiots, those bastard civilians. DSS was pushing a soldier. In any situation where you find yourself as a soldier, the Army only gives you five seconds to compose yourself, so after that, you must know how to reply to any attack or anything that comes your way.

“Because he is a governor, I know he (arrested soldier) was shocked that the governor was arresting him. I know I am not perfect and I am not saying I am but in any situation I find myself, especially beside your barracks, nobody can arrest you. I repeat, nobody can arrest you because you have to stand your grand and nobody will slap you there.

“No DSS or police can slap you because you refuse to go. Why will you arrest me when there are IP and military police?

“Okay, will it be because I took one way beside my barracks? What if I just took the bike out to buy something? Do I have to take the long route because I want to buy something? Who does that? In which Amy?”

He went on to explain that the governor’s decision was made because Lagos was calm, something that would never have occurred in his home region of the Northeast.

He said: “So, now, your governor has the guts to arrest and even call a soldier useless. To be sincere, Lagos has been experiencing too much peace. Let’s tell the truth, Lagos has been experiencing too much peace. Let us assume this happened in the North East where I am, is it here the governor’s convoy that is taking one way will arrest a soldier for taking one way?

“The governor constituted a nuisance. You are there pursuing civilians, what if they get involved in an accident along the line? The governor was there acting like a tout, a governor! When you are supposed to respect yourself. If the soldier said he is not going anywhere, nobody has the power to slap him. If the governor tries it, he knows he is already a bygone. The governor dare not slap a soldier.

“If I am directed by the MP, any of my senior, or any other officer to go to the guard room, I will go. But if the governor says so, I will never go. He doesn’t have the power. Who does he want to lock up?”

Credit: The Nation.