Soldier abusing Sanwo-Olu over arrest of colleague in viral video arrested

By Ayorinde Oluokun/Abuja

A soldier who was shown in a viral video abusing Lagos governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, over the arrest of his colleague who was driving against traffic on the Lagos-Badagry Expressway has been arrested.

Taoreed Lagbaja, the Chief of Army Staff, revealed the arrest of the soldier, whose name he did not reveal, to journalists on Tuesday.

Lagbaja who also condemned the soldier for driving against traffic, however, said his action cannot be taken as representative of the behaviour of the generality of the personnel of the Nigerian Army.

But the Chief of Army Staff said only one of the viral videos of the purported soldiers abusing Sanwo-Olu was made by a genuine military man.

Lagbaja revealed that the other videos were discovered to be the handwork of impostors in military uniform.

He said the soldier in the authentic video had been apprehended while efforts have been intensified to enlighten personnel on how to behave in the different localities they are deployed.

The Governor of Lagos State had ordered the arrest of a soldier and some commercial motorcyclists (Okada riders) for driving against the traffic on the Lagos-Badagry expressway on 2 January while he was returning from a function.

One of the offenders had identified himself as a soldier, but the Governor insisted that he must be arrested.

However, some people in military uniform who purported to be soldiers later made videos in which they abused Sanwo-Olu for arresting their colleagues for driving against traffic.