At least two soldiers from the Nigerian Army have assaulted Olalekan Fakoyejo, assistant business editor with TheCable, in Ikeja, Lagos, following a remark he made about traffic obstruction.
The incident occurred on Saturday as Mr Fakoyejo was travelling from Ikeja to Ogba in a commercial tricycle, popularly known as ‘Keke Napep’.
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According to the newspaper on Monday, witnesses said soldiers were controlling traffic near Pleasant Event Centre, off Ajao Road, when one of them ordered a tricycle rider to pull over and pick up an additional passenger as punishment, a move that worsened congestion along the busy route.
Mr Fakoyejo’s tricycle was caught in the gridlock. While reacting, he told fellow passengers that the soldier’s action was responsible for the hold-up.
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A soldier who overheard the comment allegedly ordered the journalist and other passengers to disembark.
He then dragged Mr Fakoyejo from the tricycle and questioned him for speaking out.
Mr Fakoyejo insisted he had done nothing wrong.
The situation escalated when the soldier reportedly directed him to explain himself to another colleague approaching the scene. As he attempted to do so, the soldier slapped him.
Video footage of the incident posted by TheCable and reviewed by PREMIUM TIMES shows that at least two soldiers took part in the assault.
In the footage, one of the soldiers was seen attempting to strike Mr Fakoyejo with a piece of wood before dropping it, while the other repeatedly hit and shoves him.
During the altercation, Mr Fakoyejo’s phone fell to the ground and its screen shattered.
Bystanders were said to have intervened, urging the journalist to leave the area to avoid further harm.
As he tried to walk away, the soldiers allegedly confronted him again, threatening further violence before the crowd stepped in to defuse the tension.
At the time of filing this report, the Nigerian Army had not released a statement regarding the alleged assault.
The incident adds to growing concerns about the conduct of military personnel in civilian spaces.
In November 2025, a resident of Ijebu North East Local Government Area of Ogun State, Olorunfemi Gbenga Ozogoro, accused soldiers stationed at the Ilese Sapper Army Barracks of repeated assaults and intimidation of civilians around Kasua Market.
“These soldiers, who are meant to protect civilians, have instead turned against us, committing repeated assaults inside Kasua market and issuing threats to law-abiding citizens,” he said.
Mr Ozogoro alleged that he was attacked on 13 May 2025, after intervening to stop a mob assault, and again in November when soldiers reportedly prevented the arrest of an alleged assailant and issued threats restricting his movement.
READ ALSO: Inside details of how soldiers killed NYSC member in his Abuja home
The latest incident in Lagos also comes days after a separate case in Abuja where a soldier allegedly shot and killed a National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member, further fuelling public concern over accountability within the military.
Assaulting and harassing innocent citizens are not peculiar to military personnel. Operatives of security agencies, including the police, have similarly maltreated citizens in many instances. Widespread police brutality triggered the nationwide #EndSARS protest in October 2020. Although, the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) of the Nigerian police was disbanded during the protest, observers say the police brutality has not reduced.
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