The Chief of Army Staff, Taoreed Lagbaja, has said that one of the soldiers who spoke against the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, for ordering the arrest of one of their colleagues for driving one way, in a viral video, has been apprehended.
In a few minutes of a viral video currently in circulation, Lagbaja noted that the action of the soldier caught riding one-way did not represent the entire Nigerian Army.
The Army Chief, who was seen addressing journalists, said the soldiers criticising the governor were fake, adding that the real one among them had been arrested.
“I want to say that the soldier who was apprehended by the Governor of Lagos State while plying on the one-way does not represent the Nigerian Army because, in every respect, it contravenes what we stand for, which is discipline as an army and the constitution and the laws of Lagos. We frowned upon that, as did the army.
“But for what you alleged —that soldiers have gone to social media casting aspersions on the office of Lagos State Governor— I will say it is only one soldier that has done that.
“The army has investigated; that soldier has been apprehended, and we are investigating. For every other comical act that you have seen, they are not personnel of the Nigerian Army. We have investigated that.
“From the mode of dressing of some of them, you will know that they are not personnel of the Nigerian Army. And from the utterances that these people made, you will know from what angle these people are talking.
“They are talking about politics, not the army. We are serious about upholding the law and rule and remaining disciplined, and we will enforce that on our personnel.”
Sanwo-Olu had last Tuesday ordered the arrest of a soldier and three other motorcyclists for taking one way on the Lagos-Badagry Expressway.
The Senior Special Assistant on Media to the Governor, Wale Ajetunmobi, revealed in videos shared on his X handle on Tuesday that lawless Okada riders plying one-way along the Lagos-Badagry Expressway left their motorcycles and passengers upon sighting the convoy of Sanwo-Olu.
The statement said, “One of the offenders—a Lance Corporal in the Army—was arrested with his bike.”
One of the videos shows the moment some motorcyclists drove away with their passengers to escape being arrested by the governor’s security officers.
Some of them were seen escaping on foot while abandoning their motorcycles and their passengers. In another video, Sanwo-Olu ordered the officers to put one of the motorcyclists who claimed to be a soldier into the vehicle, stating that he was going to lock him up.
He said, “Put him there; let your father come and rescue you. You’re telling me you are a soldier; that is the reason I’m going to lock you up…”
