Following the stabbing to death of a civilian driver allegedly carried out by some faceless soldiers under the 81 Division, Nigerian Army’s (NA) jurisdiction, the General Officer Commanding (GOC), Maj Gen MT Usman, has instituted an investigative panel to unravel the faces of the soldiers and possible prosecution.
It was learnt that the driver identified as Mr. Lawal was killed by some persons in military uniform on the night of 17th August 2023, around the Iyana Ipaja axis, and went away with his Tokunbo car after he was stopped along the Isheri axis of Ogun State by some unidentified soldiers.
In a statement by the Acting Deputy Director, Army Public Relations, 81 Division, Lieutenant Colonel Olabisi Olalekan Ayeni on Sunday explained that “in as much as information into the allegation is still scanty, being a responsible organisation, Headquarters 81 Division Nigerian Army considers it appropriate to bring the occurrence to public notice and the steps are taken to identify the alleged persons in military uniform, believed to be soldiers and bring them to justice if truly they are serving soldiers.
“The Division is currently carrying out an investigation in conjunction with the Nigerian Police Lagos State Command to unravel the identity of the alleged suspects and the circumstances surrounding the alleged unfortunate incident.
“At the end of the investigation, if the suspects are identified as serving soldiers, they would be met to face the full wrath of both military and civil laws.”
He further stated that “While the matter is under investigation, Headquarters 81 Division requests the family of the deceased to exercise patience and wait for the outcome of the investigation as whoever is found wanting will be made to face disciplinary action.
Noting that “The Nigerian Army has zero tolerance for troops’ misconduct or involvement of its personnel in any form of criminality, hence, will not allow this allegation to go unravelled.”
Meanwhile, the General Officer Commanding, Maj Gen MT Usman, has commiserated with the family of the victim while promising that justice would be served accordingly.
He assured the family that whosoever killed their loved one will not go unpunished.
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