Show of shame
It was a show of shame in Bayelsa State, last weekend, when some military services personnel took to open brawling during a state visit by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. It
It was a show of shame in Bayelsa State, last weekend, when some military services personnel took to open brawling during a state visit by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. It was reassuring that naval authorities subsequently said their men involved in the incident had been taken into custody for disciplinary action.
Reports said the confrontation was between presidential guards brigade escorts and naval police ratings over alleged scratching of a Hilux truck operated by the Navy.
In a 53-second video footage that went viral online, the driver of a Hilux vehicle marked “Naval Police” was seen parking in the middle of the road and stepping out of his vehicle to trade verbal insults with another driver. Moments after returning to his vehicle, a soldier bearing a rifle approached and threw a punch at the naval police driver, triggering a rowdy brawl.
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The encounter swiftly degenerated into a free-for-all, with personnel attached to both vehicles exchanging blows as stunned civilians standing by watched in evident disbelief. The scuffle occurred as the presidential convoy was leaving the venue of an official engagement during the President’s visit to the state. President Tinubu was in Bayelsa to commission projects, where he reaffirmed his administration’s resolve to tackle insecurity across the country. He also pledged sustained investment in the Nigerian Armed Forces, stating that his government would continue to equip and train security personnel to tackle insurgency, banditry, and other violent threats.
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The clash drew criticisms from members of the public, with many describing it as another instance of indiscipline within the military rank and file.
Reacting to the embarrassing incident, authorities at the Navy’s Central Naval Command (CNC) ordered the arrest of the naval rating who started the brawl and had him held in the guard room of NNS SOROH. A service source was reported saying: “Following an order by the Flag Officer Commanding (FOC), Central Naval Command (CNC), the matter is already with the Officer of the Deck at the base. It is expected to be filed before the Commanding Officer’s desk soonest for possible court martial. Already, a six-count charge has been prepared against the driver.”
Commenting in a post on his X handle, last Saturday, the Director of Naval Information, Navy Captain Abi Folorunso, confirmed that not just the driver but all personnel involved in the incident have been taken into custody and are undergoing disciplinary procedures. “The affected personnel are in custody and already undergoing appropriate administrative and disciplinary procedures in accordance with extant military regulations,” he stated.
It is obviously rank indiscipline that makes security service operatives resort to fisticuffs whenever they have scores to settle with one another. It is worse when they leverage their brawn advantage to deal with members of the civil populace. The Bayelsa incident should be used to teach some lesson in discipline.
