Perhaps, owing to their long intervention in governance, and the need to ensure that now that they have returned to the barracks they must remain there, so that our democracy can be allowed to grow to maturity, the military is obviously finding it difficult to conduct themselves according to international best practices.
Some will argue that it is because they have been deployed too often given our protracted state of insecurity, they are having problems understanding their true role in a democracy.
The military, whichever way, is subordinated to civilian rule which is subjected to the rule of law. By implication, what we are saying is that the military cannot be above the laws of the land. They cannot continue to conduct themselves in a manner that is unacceptable to the tenets of the rule of law.
If subsequent civilian governments in the country continue to look the other way while the military carry on like they are untouchables will that augur well for our democracy? Certainly not.
Happenings in the country since the return to democracy in 1999 continue to prove that those vestiges of militarism will remain with us for a very long time to come. That certainly will not bode well for our democracy and the rule of law.
It is impossible to think of any part of the world where the military is not in power, and yet exhibit so much power and lawlessness as they do in Nigeria.
This has attained such ridiculous level that the military is used in civil cases such as eviction of tenants by landlords in Lagos. In Ajeromi Ifelodun Local Government Area, military men are used by land-grabbers to harass hapless landlords and deny them their properties. They are never peacemakers in those situations, instead they aid and abet such fraudulent activities. But to whom can these unfortunate Nigerians go to complain? Who would listen to their cries. Many of them simply die in their anguish.
The recent gruesome murder of 17 military persons killed in the Okuama community of Delta State will continue to generate condemnation from all well-meaning Nigerians. How can a nation lose 17 of its officers at peace time, more so when the nation’s military is currently over-stretched following their deployments to various trouble spots in the country? The perpetrators of these dastardly acts should be brought to book.
According to reports, the military personnel were in the area as part of measures to settle a land dispute between Okuama and the neighbouring Okoloba community.
According to the reports, one community felt that the other had a military connection and they were being pressured unnecessarily and they don’t have anybody to speak for them.
As a result of this unfortunate and sad incident, the military have since descended on the Okuama community, razing houses in their chase for the alleged perpetrators of the act.
Last Wednesday, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu posthumously awarded the 17 unfortunate military men with National Honours.
The President announced the awards during the burial ceremony of the officers at the National Cemetery, Abuja.
The four ranking officers, Lieutenant Colonel Ali, Major D. E. Obi, Major Ashafa and Captain U. Zakaria were awarded a Member of the Order of Niger (MON). The remaining 13 officers were also awarded the Officer of the Federal Republic Medal.
The President announced the provision of a house in any part of Nigeria to each of the families of the four officers and 13 soldiers
The President further said that the Nigerian Government has equally approved scholarships to all the children of the deceased up to the university level.
Sad, unfortunate and condemnable as the killings are, there is a need to conduct a thorough investigation into what really went down. The reports available to the media are narratives by the military. Since there are usually two or more sides to every story, we need to get the other side(s) of the story.
The outcome of the investigation would go a long way to addressing the real issues and preventing similar occurrences in future. We cannot trust the military to give the true reflection of the story since they are a concerned party.
Now, the essence of this intervention is not in any way to justify the dastardly act but it is also true that the other parties too could have their own story to tell. Do they not have the right to say their own side of the story and be heard?
President Tinubu must ensure that the nation gets the true story of what transpired. Why would any group of people choose to give such horrendous treatment to soldiers who are trained to defend and lay down their lives for the protection of the same people? In other climes, soldiers are treated as heroes and accorded respect in public places, why is our case not the same? Is there anything the military should learn from this and make amends?
Why, for instance, have the military denied both governors of the concerned states access to these areas? Is there anything to hide? It cannot be true that the reason the governors cannot access those villages is for the purposes of their safety. That story cannot be true because these villagers have fled their abode and there is no way the perpetrators would still be in there waiting for the soldiers.
So what is the true story? The president on investigation should also ensure that these affected villagers are supported. An entire community cannot be punished for the sins of a few people.
On the side of the military, they should also take a retrospective look at the activities of their men. Many of them are unjustly used by the strong to intimidate the weak ones in the society. These cannot be the case and the military would expect to be respected by the same people they often treat with disdain. Respect is reciprocal and for as long as the soldiers continue to treat civilians like animals, they cannot get the respect they so deserve given their selfless contributions to the wellbeing of the people and the nation.
The military should not, in the first place, have gone there for any peace mission. That is the exclusive responsibility of the police and if they must intervene, they must be seen to act as impartial arbiters to earn their pride of place in the country.
Just last week, Segun Olatunji, editor of FirstNews regained his freedom after 14 days in military detention. Mr Olatunji was abducted from his Lagos home on 15 March by the military and was taken to Abuja, where he was held incommunicado for days until his release, after the military had denied detaining him.
Can somebody please tell these guys that they are not above the laws of the land and that ours is a democracy, not a military dictatorship?
