There has been widespread condemnation of an alleged public
harassment of a yet-to-be identified lady by some military
officers.
A picture of the incident, which has been trending on the
Internet, showed the victim being forced to pull down her trousers
as her underwear jutted out.
A military man, who was supervising the unsavoury show, bent
over the victim, who looked terrified and appeared to be begging
another officer whose face was not revealed by the shot.
Although the identity of the supervising military officer was
also shielded by his cap, the face of the lady at the centre of the
drama was visible.
Our reporter could not establish the time, place and
circumstances surrounding the incident. But available information
showed the victim was harrassed somewhere in the northern part of
the country for putting on army camouflage.
A large number of people, who reacted to the photo on different
social media platforms condemned the incident, saying the victim
was dehumanised.
On Nairaland, a poster with the alias, Superpark, said it was
wrong for anyone to take the law into his own hands no matter the
offence.
While citing sections 108, 109 and 110 of the Nigerian Criminal
Code Act which prescribed punishment for use of a military uniform
for the purpose of impersonation, the poster said the lady was not
guilty of any crime.
“She is not impersonating anybody with the clothes; when did
army men start to wear tight trousers, and who gave the army the
right to strip civilians?” he wrote.
Another poster, Mikool007, said the military were fond of
intimidating civilians.
“It is your right to wear anything you want, but if you
impersonate someone, e.g. a military officer, you will be
prosecuted accordingly (not humiliated publicly) and is the army
too dumb to differentiate their uniform from designer clothes?
These guys are too busy intimidating us; we’ve forgotten they are
here to serve us. I’m not in the army, but I know for sure that the
girl is not wearing the Nigerian military uniform,” he said.
Another user, Link20k, said if the victim committed a crime, she
was supposed to be taken in for questioning and not humiliated in
the public.
He said, “If she has in any way breached the law, she should
have been taken in for questioning or kept behind bars and the
necessary punishment given to her, not behaving like you are in the
animal kingdom where anything goes and stripping her. In a sane
climate or where humans reside, the army officers should be the one
behind bars now.”
Another user, Sweatlana, said, “In a sane country, these men
would be arrested, charged, convicted and jailed! The Nigerian Army
makes it very easy for civilians to hate them. Even when they die
in battles, I don’t pity them! Is there any law that says civilians
can’t wear camouflage? If yes, is the prescribed punishment
stripping the suspect?
“If no, then who the hell do they think they are to tell people
what to wear? It is written law that a person cannot be punished
for a crime not known to law and punishment therein prescribed.
“What are we if we do not have laws? Bloody babarians! The
western world is right when it thinks of us Africans as such. We
have no atom of civility.”
On Facebook, one Isaac Okwu said camouflage was sold in some
other countries.
“Nigerians are primitive and crude. In Dubai, camouflage is sold
in all their boutiques and anyone is free to buy. I even bought it,
which I wore down to Nigeria the last time I travelled. People wear
it everywhere in other countries and their soldiers even like it;
they feel honoured that the people are identifying with them,” he
said.
However, there were other people who felt the victim should be
blamed for the harrassment.
One Ezinne Chibuzo said the military had warned against wearing
of military camouflage.
She said, “Please, let’s stop looking for trouble. These people
have warned us not to wear their uniforms. If we refuse to listen,
then we should be ready to take anything we get from them.”
Another responder, lectuerdabo, said the constitution of the
country disagreed with the idea of wearing military camouflage.
He said, “Section 251 of the Constitution states; any person
who, not being a person serving in any of the armed or police
forces of Nigeria, wears the uniform of any of these forces, or any
dress having the appearance or bearing any of the regimental or
other distinctive marks of any such uniform, in such manner or in
such circumstances as to be likely to bring contempt on that
uniform, or employs any other person so to wear such uniform or
dress, is guilty of a simple offence, and is liable to imprisonment
for three months or to a fine of N40.”
One Zachariah Apamshan said, “Countries facing guerrilla or
asymmetrical warfare, like Nigeria, where controlled military wares
like camouflages are used by non-state forces to challenge the
state, the state do not tolerate such indiscriminate use of
military items. Nigeria is in a state of difficult warfare where
the enemy knows you as a soldier while you don’t know the enemy.
Come on people! We’ve got to support our military. You can join the
military if interested in the uniform or go to other countries
where you can be allowed to wear the uniform freely. Remember,
camouflage remains a banned item in Nigeria. Be warned!”
The Director, Army Public Relations, Brig. Gen. Sani Usman, did
not pick his calls and had yet to respond to a text message sent to
his telephone line as of press time
There has been widespread condemnation of an alleged public
harassment of a yet-to-be identified lady by some military
officers.
A picture of the incident, which has been trending on the
Internet, showed the victim being forced to pull down her trousers
as her underwear jutted out.
A military man, who was supervising the unsavoury show, bent
over the victim, who looked terrified and appeared to be begging
another officer whose face was not revealed by the shot.
Although the identity of the supervising military officer was
also shielded by his cap, the face of the lady at the centre of the
drama was visible.
Our reporter could not establish the time, place and
circumstances surrounding the incident. But available information
showed the victim was harrassed somewhere in the northern part of
the country for putting on army camouflage.
A large number of people, who reacted to the photo on different
social media platforms condemned the incident, saying the victim
was dehumanised.
On Nairaland, a poster with the alias, Superpark, said it was
wrong for anyone to take the law into his own hands no matter the
offence.
While citing sections 108, 109 and 110 of the Nigerian Criminal
Code Act which prescribed punishment for use of a military uniform
for the purpose of impersonation, the poster said the lady was not
guilty of any crime.
“She is not impersonating anybody with the clothes; when did
army men start to wear tight trousers, and who gave the army the
right to strip civilians?” he wrote.
Another poster, Mikool007, said the military were fond of
intimidating civilians.
“It is your right to wear anything you want, but if you
impersonate someone, e.g. a military officer, you will be
prosecuted accordingly (not humiliated publicly) and is the army
too dumb to differentiate their uniform from designer clothes?
These guys are too busy intimidating us; we’ve forgotten they are
here to serve us. I’m not in the army, but I know for sure that the
girl is not wearing the Nigerian military uniform,” he said.
Another user, Link20k, said if the victim committed a crime, she
was supposed to be taken in for questioning and not humiliated in
the public.
He said, “If she has in any way breached the law, she should
have been taken in for questioning or kept behind bars and the
necessary punishment given to her, not behaving like you are in the
animal kingdom where anything goes and stripping her. In a sane
climate or where humans reside, the army officers should be the one
behind bars now.”
Another user, Sweatlana, said, “In a sane country, these men
would be arrested, charged, convicted and jailed! The Nigerian Army
makes it very easy for civilians to hate them. Even when they die
in battles, I don’t pity them! Is there any law that says civilians
can’t wear camouflage? If yes, is the prescribed punishment
stripping the suspect?
“If no, then who the hell do they think they are to tell people
what to wear? It is written law that a person cannot be punished
for a crime not known to law and punishment therein prescribed.
“What are we if we do not have laws? Bloody babarians! The
western world is right when it thinks of us Africans as such. We
have no atom of civility.”
On Facebook, one Isaac Okwu said camouflage was sold in some
other countries.
“Nigerians are primitive and crude. In Dubai, camouflage is sold
in all their boutiques and anyone is free to buy. I even bought it,
which I wore down to Nigeria the last time I travelled. People wear
it everywhere in other countries and their soldiers even like it;
they feel honoured that the people are identifying with them,” he
said.
However, there were other people who felt the victim should be
blamed for the harrassment.
One Ezinne Chibuzo said the military had warned against wearing
of military camouflage.
She said, “Please, let’s stop looking for trouble. These people
have warned us not to wear their uniforms. If we refuse to listen,
then we should be ready to take anything we get from them.”
Another responder, lectuerdabo, said the constitution of the
country disagreed with the idea of wearing military camouflage.
He said, “Section 251 of the Constitution states; any person
who, not being a person serving in any of the armed or police
forces of Nigeria, wears the uniform of any of these forces, or any
dress having the appearance or bearing any of the regimental or
other distinctive marks of any such uniform, in such manner or in
such circumstances as to be likely to bring contempt on that
uniform, or employs any other person so to wear such uniform or
dress, is guilty of a simple offence, and is liable to imprisonment
for three months or to a fine of N40.”
One Zachariah Apamshan said, “Countries facing guerrilla or
asymmetrical warfare, like Nigeria, where controlled military wares
like camouflages are used by non-state forces to challenge the
state, the state do not tolerate such indiscriminate use of
military items. Nigeria is in a state of difficult warfare where
the enemy knows you as a soldier while you don’t know the enemy.
Come on people! We’ve got to support our military. You can join the
military if interested in the uniform or go to other countries
where you can be allowed to wear the uniform freely. Remember,
camouflage remains a banned item in Nigeria. Be warned!”
The Director, Army Public Relations, Brig. Gen. Sani Usman, did
not pick his calls and had yet to respond to a text message sent to
his telephone line as of press time
Read more https://www.nairalaw.com/soldiers-force-lady-to-undress-for-wearing-camouflage/