The disturbing and embarrassing data on human rights violations in Nigeria has painfully risen by 25 percent in February 2025, the National Human Rights Commission, (NHRC) recently made this public disclosure to show how low the country is drowning in terms of protection of human dignity.
The 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights enshrined human dignity in its preamble. It recognized the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family as the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world. Unfortunately these rights have been flagrantly violated in Nigeria and citizens stripped of their self esteem by no fault of theirs.
The Thursday, March 6, 2025 attack by personnel of the Nigeria Airforce on the headquarters and facilities of the Ikeja Electric Distribution Company (IKEDC) which left several injured, facilities and equipment vandalised is one of those reprehensible examples that are making the statistics on the abuse of human rights to soar, and this is very painful and regrettable.
A video captured the moment the armed men, dressed in military uniforms, invaded the company’s premises opposite MITV in Ikeja, Lagos. Witnesses reported that employees and others in the office were being beaten by the military personnel with many of them ordered to lie on the floor and roll.
While speaking on Arise Television on Friday, Chief Sunday Oduntan, said the incident occurred around 7:35am when multiple trucks carrying more than 100 fully armed Air Force personnel stormed the area from the Sam Ethanan Air Force Base in Ikeja.
He asserted that among the injured was the Chief Technical Officer of Ikeja Electric, who remains hospitalised.
Ironically, he is the same official responsible for managing the Air Force Base’s power supply, adding that they also brutalised pregnant women, over a longstanding electricity debt dispute.
He explained that the conflict between IKEDC and the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) stems from unpaid electricity bills dating back to November 1, 2013.
Records indicate that the Air Force Base at Ikeja accrued a N7.56billion electricity bill between 2013 and 2022 but paid only N4.3billion, leaving a N3.2billion deficit.
IKEDC further accused the Air Force of vandalising its infrastructure, stating that military personnel tampered with an auto-recloser device twice, disconnecting communication cables in an act of sabotage. IKEDC has since written multiple letters to the Chief of Air Staff and AOC Logistics, demanding accountability and immediate payment of outstanding debts.
It is appalling that in this century, armed soldiers could forcefully enter the corporate headquarters of a strategic service provider, beat up its staff, destroy property and even threaten to shoot the workers. This is savage and shows a lack of discipline and professionalism on the part of the airforce men.
Airforce should be made to pay compensation to the company and the victims for the damages and the destructive attacks carried out by the armed men.
Similarly, on the issue of rights abuse, the residents of Oko Orisan in Epe area of Lagos State are also in panic as they cried out for help, pleading with the Lagos Legislative Assembly and National Assembly to come to their rescue after some naval officers invaded an estate in their community and attacked residents including the owner of the estate, Dr. Audullahi Saheed Mosadoluwa who is adjudged as their benefactor.
The concerned residents also raised an alarm for linking them to Area J to report Naval officers who are allegedly using the Lekki Epe Expressway as a field for their unlawful activities including extortion of food items from road users every midnight in the neighborhood.
They claimed that the military men were working with some suspected highly placed Nigerians to intimidate and harass some property owners and unlawfully taking over a large expanse of land legally owned by them in the Ibeju-Lekki LGA and Epe Area of Lagos state.
The residents are also worried about their safety in the area while also berating the violent altercation involving Nigerian Naval personnel and the mobile policemen attached to an estate owner, Dr. Audullahi Saheed Mosadoluwa, a.k.a. Ibile, who those Naval Officers attempted to assassinate in his estate at Oko Orisan, Epe, Lagos State.
Witnesses described the incident as a targeted attack on Mr. Ibile, and it has triggered apprehension over alleged military lawlessness and the growing tension between security agencies within a civilian population.
According to eyewitness accounts, the conflict began last weekend when Dr. Audullahi Saheed Mosadoluwa’s son arrived at the estate and was approached by two men in plain clothes. The men, later identified as naval officers on an alleged surveillance mission, reportedly refused to provide proper identification when questioned by a police officer on duty.
The situation escalated into a heated argument, prompting Ibile’s son to intervene. Security sources also disclosed that the naval officers inquired if the young man was “the Ibile,” to which he responded negatively. Despite this, he was allegedly harassed by the officers.
A private security guard in the estate quickly alerted Dr. Audullahi Saheed Mosadoluwa, who arrived at the scene with three police escorts. By this time, the naval personnel had called for reinforcements, and the estate was swiftly and dramatically surrounded by heavily armed officers.
Ibile, who is reportedly familiar with most naval officers stationed at a nearby base, said he was alarmed by the presence of unfamiliar faces. Sensing the possibility of violence and danger, he instructed his police escorts to avoid reacting to any provocation or engaging in gunfire. He also directed his son to leave the premises, but as the young man attempted to exit the premises, a navy vehicle allegedly rammed into his car, blocking him from going out.Some minutes later, sporadic gunshots rent the air and the entire community was thrown into total panic. In the middle of this unfortunate incident, Ibile’s vehicle was struck multiple times by the irate military personnel.
The estate owner sustained bullet wounds but managed to escape. However, his police escorts, who reportedly refrained from returning fire, were overpowered and taken to a naval base, where they were allegedly paraded as criminals. One of the officers sustained a gunshot wound during the attack.
The residents were appalled by what they saw in their community while also declaring that there was no justification for the gestapo and crude action of the security personnel and that no one is above the law. Despite circulating footage of the confrontation, the Nigerian Police Force has yet to issue an official statement condemning the incident. Analysts said the silence from police authorities raises concerns about the safety of officers who were on lawful duty.
Legal experts and security analysts have called for a thorough investigation into the assasination attempt, questioning the Navy’s role in what appears to be a civil dispute which should have been resolved without resulting in violent attacks. They argued that even if land ownership were in contention, the military has no constitutional mandate to enforce land rights.
Meanwhile, eye witness further confirmed that just last three weeks, Naval officers from the same base dispossessed some passerby of bags of rice to their base not until the intervention of the Area Commander of the area before they released the seized rice but the seized items was said to have reduced in quantity.
It was also alleged that it was the same Naval officers at Epe that attacked Chief Amoo and Mr Onakoya sometime in December 28, 2024 late at night at Epe Junction. The residents also complained about the new Commanding Officer, Captain Solomon Olusola Ohunenese and Sub – Lieutenant EJ Edorge who are said to be aiding and abetting these erring officers.
The community leaders are crying out to the government to help nip the crisis in the bud to avoid further escalation which could lead to loss of lives and properties. As of the time of this report, both Harmony Gardens’ vehicle and the police patrol car are still in the custody of the Naval officers.
The Lagos State Government and security agencies have yet to announce any investigative measures or disciplinary actions against those involved the residents alleged.
In the wake of these ugly developments in Nigeria, stakeholders, including human rights groups, media, student union, trade unions, the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR), etc are calling for an independent probe, warning that unchecked incessant military aggression in Nigeria especially in Lagos State as seen in Ikeja Electric offices and Oko Orisan Community in Epe could further erode public trust in the nation’s security institutions, they insisted there must be paradigm shift in the nick of time.
One cannot forget so quickly the psychological, emotional, sociological and physical wounds occasioned by the #EndSARS protest in 2020, the ugly scars of that holocaust still remain indelible in the minds of many Nigerians. During the protests, acts of police brutality, stifling of voices of dissent, clampdowns on civic freedoms, and military shootouts at peaceful, innocent and unarmed #EndSARS protesters with live bullets were perpetrated by agents of the Nigerian state without any pushback. Nigeria government in its highly revered wisdom should never allow the repeat of the same in the country. Not anymore.
The government equally needs to change its approach of immediately responding to conflict with military might. One fundamental shift should be to understand conflict as the evidence of a struggle against systemic oppression.
When viewed from this lens, conflict becomes an opportunity for the government to understand the myriad structural issues bedeviling its people and work together with aggrieved groups to address those issues under an atmosphere of peace and harmony. This sort of understanding also lessens the temptation to escalate tensions each and every time grievances arise, or to resort to paying for peace without addressing the origins of unrest.
The Presidency, especially the Commander in Chief of the armed forces, State and National Assembly must speedily act on the brigandage and unconstitutional acts by people in uniform. Nigeria is governed under constitutional democracy and it must be seen to uphold the rule of law and protect human dignity and rights.
Democracy and peaceful dialogue could be arguably slow, but remain the surest and legitimate means of conflict resolution. Violence, no matter the provocation, can never replace the dictates of the constitution.
Juliana is a legal practitioner and rights activist based in Ikoyi, Lagos.
