Colonel vandalises civilian’s car for denting his vehicle-the Civilian life in danger
By CHRIS ANUCHA
Thursday, May 06, 2010
Damaged car
A young man in Lagos, Remy Amos-Anowai, whose car, Honda Accord, was allegedly damaged by a military officer is now living in fears, as the soldier was quoted as saying that he would not live to tell what transpired between them.
Anowai, who incurred the wrath of Colonel N.J. Anene, attached to Nigerian Army Corps of Supply and Transport Headquarters, Bonny Camp, Lagos, for brushing his Peugeot saloon car marked, AG 417 SHD told Daily Sun that his life is now in danger.
Narrating the incident, which occurred at Liverpool junction, Apapa, Lagos, on April 15, 2010, the victim disclosed that the officer was trying to overtake his car marked AR 845 BWR and in the process, “there was a minor brush.”
“I was during behind a truck carrying a container. My car was next to the trailer. Suddenly, I noticed that there was a Peugeot car trying to overtake me from the right. There was no space between my car and the trailer. As the truck moved a bit, the driver of the same Peugeot car swerved, apparently, trying to overtake me and in the process, brushed his car against mine,” he said.
According to him, the officer hopped out of his car and used his fist to hit the front windscreen. “It was at this point that some policemen at a checkpoint close to the scene, came to find out what the matter was. The man ran across the road and picked a big stone and used it to smash the front and back windscreens of my car,” he said.
He explained that he managed to run out of his car and phoned his wife to inform her of what transpired between him and the soldier. His wife, according to him, quickly contacted his lawyer and one of his relatives, who is also a senior Army officer.
“He wanted to use the stone to smash my head and it missed the target. That was why, in anger, he used it to destroy my windscreen. As he was chasing me around to beat me up, I gave one of the policemen my handset to give to the officer, to talk to one of my relatives.
As he was discussing with my relative, he claimed my offence was that I impersonated Army officer. When I heard it, I shouted to the hearing of everybody that I couldn’t have impersonated an Army officer, as I am an insurance person, working with the Nigerian Bottling Company. When he heard this, he also smashed my handset, thereby, damaging it completely.”
The officer did not end the matter there He allegedly tried to bundle the victim into his car to take him to the Special Investisgation Board (SIB), Nigerian Army Signal Headquarters, Apapa, Lagos, for further torture and detention. The attempt was, however, thwarted by policemen from Apapa, who told the Colonel that the matter was purely a civil and traffic offence, which police at the Area ‘B’ Command Headquarters, Apapa, could handle.
The policemen convinced the soldier to follow them to the station, alongside the victim, for amicable settlement of the matter. At the police station, they told the soldier that a case of impersonation could not be proved against Amos Anowai, as no military uniform, identity card or any other item, belonging to the military were found on him. The officer also failed to show up at the police station the next day as they agreed to to settle the matter.
“The Investigating Police Officer (IPO) phoned the officer to find out why he didn’t come, he simply told him that as Chairman of many boards he had been very busy. Ever since, the Army officer has failed to show up at the police station again. He was said to have told police officers at Apapa police station that advised him to resolve the matter, that he would not spend a dime in repairing the damaged car, boasting that as an officer, he could afford to buy 10 of such car.
“He said all these in the presence of policemen. Since then, I have been afraid of my life, because of his threat that I will not live to tell the story. “All I need is justice, for him to repair my car and the safety of my life. I gave him an option, that is, footing the bill of the minor damage of his car, but he said no. He asked me to go to court. Up till now, he has not shown up. If he had a gun or had his orderlies with him that day, I would have been killed,” he said. Meanwhile, Amos Anowai has petitioned the military authorities, complaining about the action of Colonel Anene.
In the letter, dated April 26, 2010, and addressed to the Provost Marshal, Military Police Headquarters, No. 19, Oro Ago Crescent, Garki II, Area 11, Abuja, the victim narrated how the officer picked a stone and smashed the windscreens of his car.
“That the said Colonel N.J. Anene also collected Mr. Remy Amos-Anowai’s telephone handset and smashed it irretrievable on the ground. That, if not for the timely intervention of some police officers that were at the scene of the display of power by Colonel N.J. Anene, Mr. Remy Amos-Anowai would have lost his limbs or life,” the petition, written on his behalf by his lawyers, C.M. Agu & Co, further said.
The lawyers appealed to the Provost Marshal to cause Colonel Anene to right the wrong of malicious damage inflicted on Amos Anowai. The petition further said: “We know that the military hierarchy is dotted with responsible men and women of dignity. We therefore use this medium to solicit your intervention in this unfortunate incident and we look forward to your prompt response to remedy this damage.”
The petition, among others, was copied to the Chief of Army Staff, Nigerian Army, the Commandant, Army Cantonment, Bonny Camp, Victoria Island, Lagos, Army Public Relations, Nigerian Army Headquarters, Area Commander, Area ‘B’ Police Command, Apapa, Lagos, and the Divisional Police Officer (DPO), in-charger of Apapa police station.
When Daily Sun called the Army spokesman, Brigadier General Chris Olukolade, he wondered why the victim chose to make it a press issue after petitioning the military authorities. He , however said his petition was receiving attention.
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