Two military officials appear to have landed in hot soup after being accused of disturbing public peace in the South-south part of Nigeria.
Police IGP, Idris Ibrahim
Two soldiers have been arrested by the Edo State Police Command for allegedly disrupting the sitting of a mobile court at the Oba Ovoranmen Square in Benin, the state capital.
The Police Public Relations Officer, Moses Nkombe, confirmed the arrest on Thursday.
It was gathered that five military men had stormed the mobile court after a retired officer failed to secure the release of his wife, who was about to be arraigned before the court.
It was learnt that gunshots were fired into air as some policemen attached to the mobile court tried to resist the soldiers. A source said the soldiers overpowered the policemen, a development which left several persons injured.
The acting Managing Director of the Edo State Waste Management Board, Prince Aiyamenkhue Akonofua, said that several persons were also injured.
Akonofua noted that the presiding magistrate, Ihenyen Aigbediofe, had to be rushed out of the scene for safety. The spokesman for 4 Brigade Command of the Nigerian Army, Capt. Mohammed Maidawa, also confirmed the incident.
However, the police PRO said the matter had been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department.
“It is true. The soldiers went to the mobile court to free some suspects. Our policemen resisted them,” Nkombe said.