The Global News reports that the Chief of Army Staff, Taoreed Lagbaja, announced the arrest of a soldier who criticized Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos state in a viral video.
Lagbaja maintained that the behavior of the soldier, caught driving against traffic, does not reflect the values of the entire Nigerian Army.
The COAS further revealed that numerous viral videos depicting soldiers criticizing the Lagos state governor were fake. He clarified that only one authentic video was investigated, and the unidentified soldier involved had been apprehended.
He also said that the Army has taken steps to instruct soldiers on how to behave in the different localities they are deployed.
The Global News had reported that Sanwo-Olu had on January 2, ordered the arrest of a soldier and some commercial motorcyclists (Okada riders) for driving against the traffic on the Lagos-Badagry expressway.
The order was issued as he returned from the inauguration of a project at Lagos State University (LASU), Ojo, which was sponsored by the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila.
The governor faced criticism in a video from a soldier who expressed disapproval of his decision to order 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.”
In a widely shared video on Thursday, January 4, the soldier appeared to be defending his colleague against the governor’s decision.