A yet-to-be-identified man has slumped after soldiers beat him and other young people while attempting to beat the traffic on the Ogbomosho-Ilorin highway.

Soldiers numbering over 50, journeying in a Marcopolo bus and two Hilux vans at about 1:10 pm on Monday alighted on the road to harass other road users in a bid to get ahead of them.

One of their victims, a motorcycle passenger, slumped when he was subjected to beating. He was rushed to Bowen University Teaching Hospital, Ogbomosho, where he was being monitored as of press time.

Speaking to FIJ, Peter Opaleye, president of the Ogbomosho Community Youth Forum (OCYF), said youths in the community were fixing the road at the time the soldiers intended to pass.

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He said he made efforts to speak with them, but before he could explain, seven soldiers descended on him and other youths present.

“We were evacuating debris from the drainage, so we came with lorries and tippers. These military men coming from Ibadan were beating people from the rear so they could pass,” he said.

“So we went to them to say, ‘We aren’t stopping you from passing; we are the ones fixing the road. Before now you couldn’t pass here’, but before we could explain, they started beating us. I’m just coming from the hospital now; they gave me an injection.”

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Opaleye said he was able to identify one of the hilux plate numbers as NA086B.

FIJ made calls to Onyeama Nwachukwu, army spokesman, and Adewale Osifeso, Oyo State Police Public Relations Officer, but they were not answered. Text messages sent to them were also not responded to.