Military officers from Myhoung Barracks at the 68 Nigerian Army Reference Hospital, Yaba, Lagos, have assaulted Adeniran Adebayo, a senior lecturer at Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH), for speaking up for his students.

Adebayo, an Information Technology lecturer, had just concluded a test and headed for his office when he stumbled on final year students in football jerseys taking pictures of themselves.

He joined the students in their celebration, but on sighting them, the soldiers charged forward and demanded the students bring their phones to them.

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“I learnt that the soldiers were in school to beat some students who assaulted a senior colleague of theirs, so I explained to the soldiers that the students with me were not troublesome students but finalists who were only celebrating,” Adebayo said.

“One of them came closer to where I was and asked why I had the effrontery to talk when they talked. He slapped me many times after the question before others joined him to beat me.”

Adebayo was almost naked after the soldiers had overpowered him. His clothes got torn, his ear pods were missing, and his test scripts were lost in the process.

“I was almost naked after the soldiers left me alone. One of them took my ear pods as they dragged me by my trousers while they were beating me,” Adebayo said.

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Eyewitnesses told FIJ he was brutally beaten and dehumanised before many students.

Students told FIJ that some four soldiers had entered the college from the front gate on a mission to beat some students who offended a senior army officer. But on failing to identify the students, they began to harass students with phones.

FIJ reached out to Onyema Nwachukwu, the spokesperson of the Nigerian Army, but his line was switched off. As of press time, he had not responded to a text message sent to his phone.