correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria, Ijendu
Iheaka, over right of way.
Trouble started for Iheaka who was on his way to an
assignment at Umuode area of the city when he came face
to face with a group of soldiers in a patrol van, marked
Army 014, at a muddy portion of the road, close to
Winners Church, along the Enugu-Port Harcourt
expressway.
He said: “I got to a muddy portion of the road and even
waited for the coming vehicle to pass before stepping in to
wade through the spot. The soldiers van came into the
same portion when I had already gone half way.
‘’There was no safe place to make way for them to pass in
the mud. Before I know what was happening, the driver
started shouting, ‘waka, waka’, pointing his fingers at me
while others came out and started beating me.
‘’They used the nozzle of their guns to hit my knees and
tore my shirt. After they left, I couldn’t even walk, a good
Samaritan assisted me to a tricycle which took me home. I
have contacted the military authorities in Aba, they
promised to investigate; yet nothing has come out of it.”
Iheaka told Vanguard that apart from the swollen knees
and torn shirts, the soldiers would have inflicted more
injuries on him but for passersby who pleaded that he
should be left alone and later assisted to clean him up
when his attackers had gone.
The journalist is yet to resume work as he is still nursing
the injuries sustained in the attack.
At the time of filing this report, efforts to contact the
Public Relations Officer of 14 Brigade, Ohafia, one Capt.
Mbaneme, proved abortive as his lines were unavailable.
Reacting to the incident, chairman of Civil Liberties
Organization, CLO, Aba Unit, Prof. Charles Chinekezi,
condemned the attack and urged soldiers to be civil while
going about their duties in the city.
Chinekezi appealed to the military authorities in the state
to fish out the culprits and punish them to serve as a
deterrent to others.
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