18 November 2008
editorial
Lagos — The fact that virtually all who have commented on the brutal beating of Miss Uzoma Okere by naval ratings attached to Rear Admiral Henry Arogundade have called for stiff sanctions against the officer and his men proves, conclusively, that such bestial behaviour must never recur anywhere in the country.
The insistence on punishment for the unruly ratings and their boss is such that a strong signal can be sent down the line, that the jack boot era is gone. And for good.
Miss Okere was said to have been caught in traffic when the siren-blaring convoy of Arogundade, the Flag Officer Commanding (FOC), Logistics Command, Sapele, tried to force her off the way.
Because she did not scurry off as quickly as they expected, which is near impossible, considering the bumper-to-bumper grid locks on most Lagos roads, the ratings reportedly descended on her with horse whips and blows and in the course of the merciless beating, stripped her naked, all in the presence of their boss.
This, of course, is the height of rascality and is unexpected of members of the Armed Forces who are supposed to be paragons of discipline. Unfortunately, such display of brute force towards civilians that they are expected to protect has been the norm over time.
Indeed, there have been instances where military personnel killed defenceless civilians at the slightest provocation, the most vivid being the point-blank shooting of an Okada (commercial motorcycle) rider in Ikeja, Lagos, about three years ago, for allegedly hitting a Naval officer's Mercedes Benz car. Till date nothing has been heard of the outcome of the investigation into the killing and the officer involved is moving about, as though nothing happened.
Miss Okere's travail may have attracted the type of media attention that has trailed it because she is the daughter of the Sergeant-at-Arms of the National Assembly or because she is a lady for whom there was spontaneous support, but the fact is that every Nigerian, however highly or lowly placed, must be protected by the law, especially in the current democratic dispensation.
And the law is that nobody, including military personnel, has the right to beat up anybody else for whatever reasons. If Arogundade felt that Okere infringed on his rights, he should have taken her to court. That is the law. That is due process. There is no room, in a democracy, for jungle justice, and this message must be passed on to all Nigerians, especially military personnel, using the present case.
Also, we have written several times concerning the indiscriminate use of sirens across the country, but especially in Lagos, by all manner of public office holders, traditional rulers, bank bullion vans, military personnel and other misguidedly audacious people. These people use these sirens that should be strictly for medical and security emergencies to chase other road users off the roads. This must stop. Thankfully, Gov. Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State, who, remarkably does not use it, has banned the use of siren in the state. We hope the ban would be strictly enforced.
We also commend Gov. Fashola for rising up for Miss Okere in her moment of travail, by promising to pick her medical and legal bills as well as generally showing disapproval of such dehumanisation. The prompt reaction of President Umaru Yar'Adua, the Chief of Defence Staff and the Naval authorities is also commendable, given that there is great need to get the message across that although members of the Armed Forces are a very important segment of society, they are, indeed, subordinate to the laws of the land and to the civilian population.
All the actions taken so far to get to the root of the matter are in line with due process and the rule of law, which the Yar'Adua administration wants to be known for. However, the entire country and, indeed, the world as a whole are tuned to Nigeria, eager to know how this unfortunate saga will end. The authorities must, therefore, ensure that justice takes its full course, and that this case is not swept under the carpet.
Only then, will the masses be reassured that indeed, democracy is taking root in the country.
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