Was the Yaba Violence a Grudge Move By Soldiers on Fashola?

There are unconfirmed reports that the recent incident at Yaba where Soldiers allegedly unleashed mayhem on policemen attached to the Lagos State special security outfit, the Taskforce on Environmental and Special Offences (Enforcement) Unit was fueled by the anger of the soldiers at Governor Fashola.
Sources insist that comments from the soldiers suggested that they were angry with way Governor Babatunde Fashola treated a Colonel, who drove on BRT lane on Tuesday.

As the situation tensed up, the task force officials also called for help to match the number of soldiers attacking them.

It was learnt that the soldiers used bottles and stones to attack the task force officials.

They were also said to have punctured two tyres of the Black Maria belonging to the unit with knives.

According to eyewitnesses, trouble started when the task force officials, who were on patrol, accosted the driver of a commercial bus for obstructing traffic flow.

However, a soldier who was sitting in the bus snatched the key from the driver to prevent the officials from taking the bus away.

After few minutes of heated arguments, the soldier was said to have called for assistance from an army base not far from the scene of the trouble.

Within minutes, many soldiers trooped out from the base and began to throw stones and other objects at the task force officials.

Some of the soldiers were said to have gone to the Black Maria brought by the task force and deflated two of its tyres.

As the situation tensed up, the task force officials also called for help to match the number of soldiers attacking them.

The crisis was allegedly escalated by a Lieutenant-Colonel who arrived the scene and ordered the soldiers to bundle some of the task force officials into the barracks.

Calm was, however, restored when a senior task force official intervened and led his men away from the area without arresting the driver.

Task Force Chairman, Bayo Sulaiman, confirmed the attack.

He said, “It as an affront on the state government because the soldiers vandalised government vehicle.