“Stop Lying!” Nigerians Lashes Out As Army Claims Viral Video Of Soldiers Beating Man Is Fake

Nigerians using social media has disagreed with the Nigerian Army for suggesting that the viral video showing men in military camouflage beating up an undressed man is fake.

In the viral video, men suspected to be cadets from the Nigerian Defence Academy are seen slapping a man who is wearing only boxers.

However, the Nigerian Army in a statement signed by the acting Director Army Public Relations, Col. Sagir Musa, said the style of camouflage being worn by the soldiers in the video was no longer in use, adding that the men could be impostors. The statement reads:

“However, looking at the video closely and carefully, even without or before deliberate investigation is conducted, one can raise salient fundamental common sense observations with regards to the video especially on the three persons that are dressed in camouflage uniform.

“The observations are: The persons in uniform, – all of them – completely – lack military bearing. None of them is fully dressed like present day Nigerian Army personnel. The camouflage is not the proper NA camouflage in use today. This can easily be compared and corroborated.

“The style of their dressing and the dressing itself, – is at variance with the dressing pattern of contemporary NA soldiers – No name sign on the chest, desert boots on woodland camouflage?

“Again, putting on a belt on top of camouflage uniform has since been banned in NA dress code! Look at the black boot of one of the soldiers in the video – looking – too civil! The setting/the environment in which the atrocity, – the rights abuse was conducted is also suspicious. ‘Soldiers’ carrying a suspect into a private house, not barracks?

“And watching carefully from the victim to the perpetrators of the abuse, – the whole show, the drama appeared stage managed. Ordinarily, how can soldiers of a national army abduct and brutalise in a manner as shown in the video a fellow countryman or woman and record it only for the public to watch? Of what gain is that to him or them as shown in the clip. In other words, there is more to this evil machination.”

Many Nigerians have disagreed with the position of the army, accusing the institution of lying and pretending to be one that respects the rights of civilians. See some of the reactions below: