NAF: This Is a Shame! by Olawale Olaleye

A trending video of some men of the Nigeria Armed Forces, beating up an official of LASTMA, was quite unsightly, disheartening, and reprehensible. They simply beat up the Governor of Lagos State.

More instructively, it symbolised the gradual death of some of the nation’s revered institutions. It was a demystifying spectacle, driven by shamelessness, indiscretion, and a denigrating arrogance of their uniform.

Anywhere in the world, that uniform commands a lot of respect. In fact, you hardly see them in decent societies, aimlessly on the streets. It’s therefore an honour to always encounter one.

It’s also why you would hardly see these men of honour and pride engage in gutter display of power. In fact, when you mess with them, they would deal with you in a military way you will never forget. An abiding message is left with you as a takeaway.

This latest act was typical of the garage boys during rival gang wars. Planking an official of the state as if it were a banana republic? Agents of the state? I still can’t believe that any of the armed forces in which my dad served and retired as a Sergeant in 1980 would descend this low.

Luckily, I married a woman, whose father also retired as a general. These are decent folks who often relish their days in service with pride and nostalgia. How and when did the armed forces start recruiting “animals in human skin”?

Isn’t there “order and command” anymore? Couldn’t they have properly and officially filed the incident and watched the authorities take fitting measures? Why take laws into their own hands and unleash terror as if it’s cult rivalry? Men of the armed forces fighting like touts?

It’s about time the raving madness in some ill-bred soldiers was dealt with. The service chiefs, especially the Chief of Army Staff, must take this ugly trend very seriously, because they are not only slinging the mud on their uniform but on the Coat of Arms, which signifies the people’s collective pride.

This one incident must serve as an end to the habitual and disgraceful acts of like-soldiers and others. The few in question not only lack personal discipline and self-esteem, but they have extended their ignoble and condemnable indulgence to summarise the new age armed forces.

Olawale Olaleye