LAGOS—According to reports, the deceased driver, who went by the name Lawal, worked for the auto dealer Cedric Masters Limited and was on his way to deliver a brand-new 2022 Toyota Corolla to Abuja when he was stopped by military personnel at Ojodu Berger, outside of Lagos.
They claimed to have insisted on driving Lawal to their barracks but instead took a diversion to the Iyana-Ipaja tollgate axis, where they allegedly shot the driver dead, dumped the body in a bush, and then took off in the brand-new vehicle.
The dead was shot on the left side of the chest and lower abdomen, according to sources at the car dealership.
On the day of the incident, a Hilux van driver who was traveling ahead of the deceased and was also going to Abuja, it was learned from sources, witnessed what happened.
According to reports, the second motorist saw his colleague being arrested and reported it to the police.
Before some senior military personnel at the 9 Brigade, Ikeja Cantonment, he is claimed to have named the three soldiers that harassed his late colleague.
One of his acquaintances reported he was later detained in a conversation with Vanguard yesterday. At the time of publication, it was unclear if he had been released.
However, various tales of what occurred on the same day exist. According to one story, three of the soldiers were recognized and approached by the police, while according to another, they were in the company of army officials at the Nigerian Army's 9 Brigade's cantonment in Ikeja.
When Vanguard enquired further, however, none of the authorities acknowledged that they were in their possession. According to insiders at the 9 Brigade's cantonment in Ikeja, Nigeria, a parade of the unit's soldiers was organized as soon as word of the missing soldiers reached the Brigade.
According to the sources, "As of the time the parade was held, no soldier was absent."
When contacted, Benjamin Hudenyin, a spokesman for the Lagos State Police Command, stated that the 9 Brigade and the command were looking into the situation.
The Army's investigation has begun.
Lt. Col. Olabisi Ayeni, the 81 Division's acting deputy director for Army public relations, said in a statement yesterday that the Division has started an investigation into the alleged homicide.
The Nigerian Army's Headquarters 81 Division believes it is appropriate to inform the public of the incident and the steps being taken to identify the alleged persons in military uniform, believed to be soldiers, and bring them to justice, if they are, in fact, serving soldiers, despite the fact that information regarding the allegation is still limited at this time.
"To determine the identify of the suspects and the circumstances surrounding the alleged sad incident, the Division is currently conducting an investigation in collaboration with the Nigeria Police, Lagos State Command.
If the suspects are found to be active-duty troops at the conclusion of the investigation, they will be subjected to the full force of both military and civil laws.
"While the matter is being investigated, Headquarters 81 Division requests that the relatives of the deceased wait patiently for the investigation's conclusion since anyone found to be at fault will be subject to disciplinary action.
The Nigerian Army would not permit this accusation to be disproved because it "has zero tolerance for troops' misconduct or involvement of its personnel in any form of criminality."As a result, Maj Gen MT Usman, the General Officer Commanding 81 Division NA, expresses sympathy to the victim's family and pledges to uphold justice. He promises the surviving family members that whoever killed their loved one will not escape justice.
A number of people have been demanding justice for the murdered motorist in the interim.
The group calling for "Justice for Lawal" urged the Nigerian Army to prevent the incident from being overlooked.
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