Yusuf Habeeb Abolore, a recent graduate from the English Department of Lagos State University (LASU), has detailed his experience of being physically assaulted by Nigerian Army personnel during the institution’s convocation ceremony. According to SaharaReporters, Yusuf was leaving the university grounds after the event when he witnessed a disagreement between a soldier, who was not in uniform and riding a bike, and a LASU student.
In an attempt to intervene in the situation, Yusuf observed that the soldier struck the student with his bike to assert dominance rather than to calm the situation. The soldier, who was not in uniform, then called for reinforcements from the barracks opposite the LASU gate. When these reinforcements arrived, their attention shifted from resolving the dispute to brutalizing Yusuf, who was a defenseless civilian at the time.
Yusuf recounted that the soldiers began beating him severely with a wooden plank for merely trying to retrieve the soldier’s bike key, which he had collected from another student who had taken it during the altercation. He described how they slapped him repeatedly while bystanders watched in fear, unable to intervene. Even a university security official who attempted to mediate was met with hostility from the soldiers.
Despite pleas from Yusuf and other witnesses, the soldiers refused to explain or justify their excessive use of force. The incident highlights the urgent need to address inappropriate displays of authority and to ensure the protection of civilians. For Yusuf Abolore, what should have been a momentous occasion celebrating his four years of academic achievement was marred by unwarranted aggression from those expected to protect him.