Brigandage, irresponsible, disgraceful and lawless are words that best describe the havoc wreaked by soldiers in Makurdi, the Benue State capital, allegedly protesting the killing of their colleague by suspected cultists last Friday. The soldiers, said to belong to the Nigerian Army School of Military Engineering (NASME), unleashed terror on residents at the North Bank area of the city, vandalizing buildings and vehicles; sending fearful residents scampering indoors, even as traders hastily locked up their shops and fled. The ensuing pandemonium held travelers hostage for over five hours on the Makurdi/Lafia/Abuja expressway, in long queues of vehicles. This descent into chaos and lawlessness is disappointing as it is condemnable. The only way to disabuse the mind of the public in this regard is for government to read the riot act to the errant soldiers.
Eyewitness accounts said the soldiers, numbering over 30, went from street to street looting and harassing women and children, and that some women were sexually assaulted. It is gravely irresponsible considering the fact that this vandalization was carried out by soldiers who are charged with the responsibility of maintaining law and order. The willful vandalization of public property is unlawful. It is arson, an offence punishable under relevant provisions of the penal code.
Viewed against some antecedents involving soldiers, the action connotes a triumph of the rule of force over the rule of law that must not be countenanced. The government must check the excess of its soldiers and stop the disgraceful trend. It is indeed unfortunate that this kind of rampage has become the typical reaction of officers whenever any mishap befalls them in a civilian setting, irrespective of their state of culpability.
By this unjustified expression of fury, the soldiers have brought the army into disrepute for exacerbating an already bad situation. Either for retribution or in solidarity with the killed colleague, their action was a mockery of the admonition that two wrongs don’t make a right. But because soldiers are perceived as flagrant abusers of the law whenever they are in dispute with civilian parties, they continually relive, in the mind of the public, the widely held opinion that they are averse to the civilized procedure of reasoned conflict resolution. In the wisdom of legal authorities, the soldiers should be given stiffer penalties knowing full well that they are supposed to be guardians of the society against breaches of peace and order.
One of the hallmarks of the military decorum is the establishment’s predilection for discipline and unrivalled obedience to the sanctity of the state as an organized body headed by a constituted authority. This tamely demeanor and prized chivalry that endow the soldier with patience and long-suffering for the common good appeared to have taken flight going by the cavalier showmanship, intemperate feistiness and waywardness that characterized the response of the soldiers in this case.
Although no lives were reportedly lost, the reckless attitude was not restricted to soldiers; it was also displayed by protesting youths who rallied to confront the soldiers as they moved to loot a commercial bank. It is not uncommon to see soldiers intimidating and abusing civilians by willfully exploiting their uniforms to harass civilians and provoke panic situations that endanger the lives of people. Their close affinity with state authority emboldens them to act with impunity and reckless abandon; after all, in the typical Nigerian setting the soldier in uniform, shares in the power of the government. In spite of this, the onus of greater tolerance lies on the soldiers because of their training and status in the society.
It is gratifying that the Police are still investigating the matter to ascertain what really happened and to do everything possible to bring the perpetrators to book, no matter how highly placed they may be. Normalcy has, however, returned as Commissioner of Police, CP Dibal Yakadi and other senior government officials visited the scene. Even as investigations continue, the police and civilian authorities are urging the public not to take the law into their hands, but maintain peace.
The lesson of moderation is crucial to the survival of this country. At this time when Nigeria is facing serious socio-economic and political problems, the energy of the youths is better channeled into productive ventures: rooted in skills acquisition with a view to making them contribute to the economy. Thus, whether it is the civilians or soldiers, nobody should take the law into their hands. There is need instead to draw the attention of the new administration that anybody who breaks the law should face the consequences of that infringement.