Lt. Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, Nigeria’s Chief of Army Staff, has revealed that the soldier who cast aspersion on the office and person of the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has been arrested.
Lagbaja, who disclosed this in Enugu State during his operational working visit to the 82 Division of the Nigerian Army, said that the action of the soldier did not represent the army.
He explained that the soldier who was arrested by the governor for plying “one-way” contravenes what Nigerians stand for, the constitution and the laws of Lagos State, adding that they (the Army) stand for discipline.
Fielding questions from journalists, on the arrest of the soldier and subsequent outburst of some social condemning the governor’s action, the Army Chief said, “I want to say the soldier that was apprehended by the governor of Lagos State, while plying on a 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 it contravenes the constitution and the laws of Lagos.
“And so we frowned at that as an army. But what you have learnt is that soldiers have gone to social media casting aspersions on the person and the office of the Governor of Lagos State. I will say that it is only one soldier that has done that.
“The army has investigated that soldier and he has been apprehended.”
He, however, noted that the army was still investigating what he described as “comic actors on social media and anyone found wanting would be punished.
“We are investigating every comic act that you have seen on social media; they are not personnel of the Nigerian Army. We have investigated that. From the mold of dressing of some of them, you will know that they are not personnel of the Nigerian Army.
“One of them was wearing the cap badge upside down and you know that that is not a personnel of the Nigerian Army, an officer can never do that. So, we have investigated some of them and from the utterances these people made you will know the angle from which they are talking, they are talking politics, not the army, so we will leave it at that.
“For the ones that pertain to the army, we are investigating and it will be treated accordingly. Even this morning as I arrived in Enugu, the Chief of Administration Army sent me a draft directive that he was sending out to all formations and units of the Nigerian army to further sensitise our troops on the need to be disciplined and abide by the laws of every community where they are deployed.
“So, we are serious about upholding laws, upholding rules, and remaining disciplined and we’ll enforce that on our personnel,”
he vowed.
