Personnel of the Nigeria Army from Ibereko Barracks on the Badagry Expressway, in Lagos state, have laid siege on Mowo community in the area to recover a missing gun.
Blueprint learnt that a drunken soldier from the barracks lost his gun in a beer parlour at Mowo Bus stop last week and to recover the missing weapon, the soldiers stormed the community and subjected its residents to torture and harassment.
A resident said the soldiers mounted a post at the bus stop and prevented shop owners from opening for business.
The resident said: “They are still at the bus stop; they mounted a road block there before the incident. They went on with their normal business overnight because they always came to the point in the night.
“This morning (yesterday), they ordered the closure of every shop at the bus stop. Yesterday, it was a near action film for the residents as the unidentified soldiers stormed the community.”
Another resident also said the rampaging soldiers arrested the father of a suspect, simply identified as Mond ay, who was said to have been on the run.
“The soldiers arrested the father and quizzed him on the whereabouts of his son but he was later let off the hook when the elders of the community intervened.
“They soldiers have declared a mini-curfew in this area. Yesterday they harassed and beat people. Monday’s father was arrested but later released when elders intervened. People were not allowed to move in or out of the community.”
A graduate of the Lagos State University and a resident of the community, who identified himself as, Mr. Babatunde Gafar, however, said the soldiers tortured many residents.
Gafar said: “I could not even go out of my compound since yesterday. A neighbour of mine, who was harassed, recounted what was happening at the bus stop to me. He said he was told to do countless number of frog-jumps and was only released through the intervention of a relative who appealed to the soldiers.”
