A journalist, Abiola Oduola, has accused some naval ratings of assaulting him and his colleague, Segun Ojo, in the Mende, Maryland area of Lagos.

It was gathered that Oduola had parked his car in front of a building close to the Spa Lavender, the venue of an events he and his colleague were to cover on July 21, 2019.

By the time they returned at the end of the event, the tyres of the vehicle had been deflated by the naval ratings.

The ratings allegedly tortured Ojo till he passed out for requesting to speak with the owner of the building.

Oduola said while he was explaining what happened to the owner of the building, he was also inflicted with machete cuts to his head by one of the ratings.

He stated, “On July 21, we were on duty to cover the one-year anniversary of the Don Sylvester Records at the Spa Lavender on Okunola Aina Street, Mende, Maryland. We parked in front of a building, which did not have the no parking sign, and the vehicle did not cause any obstruction. A man approached us and said we should not park there, but we politely asked him if there was any other place we could park. He said I should go and park anywhere I liked.

“So, my colleague and I left the car there and walked down to the venue of the event on the same street. We left the venue around 9.30pm and walked down to where we parked the vehicle, only for us to discover that the tyres had been deflated. My colleague requested to see the owner of the building to report what had happened.

“My colleague was standing by a small gate. The rating, who used the machete on me, walked up to him and dragged him inside, locked the gate and started beating him, while I was by the bigger gate outside screaming for help. Another rating came out through the big gate and dragged me inside too and started punching my face.

“The owner of the house, Rt. Rear Admiral Michael Adelanwa Ajayi Ayinde arrived with his driver and parked in front of the house and was shouting at us. I guess the ratings had alerted him earlier and accused us falsely. We later learnt that he was a retired rear admiral. I tried to explain what happened to him, but the rating used the machete he had with him to cut me on my forehead.


“When the house owner saw blood gushing out from my forehead, he pushed the rating inside the house and instructed him not to come out again. We were pushed to the other side of the road before good Samaritans helped to order an Uber ride that took us to the St. Nicholas Hospital in Mende.”

The Oyo State indigene said after first aid treatment was administered to them at the St. Nicholas Hospital, he went to the Anthony Police Division to report before heading for the General Hospital, Gbagada.

He added that the ratings had been trying to turn the case against him after he reported to the police.

Oduola stated, “The next day, I was summoned by the IPO in charge of the case that the rating, who assaulted me, was around with one Lt. Solomon, who was said to be the CSO to the retired rear admiral. We both narrated our sides of the story and the rating claimed that I attacked him with a stone. The DPO asked that we should resolve the matter amicably.

“I agreed and Lt. Solomon promised to raise the sum of N10,000 to compensate us, which we considered to be a ridiculous amount in view of the expenses we had incurred and are still incurring. Lt. Solomon suggested that we meet with the retired officer and since my car was still parked in the front of his building with the tyres deflated, I obliged.

“A vulcaniser was fixing my tyres when the retired officer arrived and he started hurling insults at me. He claimed that he had no money to give us and said his building was a military zone. The Lt. Solomon sent me a text message later claiming that the rating, who assaulted me, had been admitted to one hospital.

“He asked the police to produce us for interrogation at the naval base and to get copies of the statements made by us at the station, but the IPO refused. They are now hunting my colleague and I, making us appear as the aggressors.”

When the state Police Public Relations Officer, Bala Elkana, was contacted, he said the matter had been referred to the naval authority.

Elkana stated, “The matter was investigated; the injured journalist was treated and at the end of the day, there was an informal resolution between the journalists and the ratings. If Oduola feels threatened, or is not satisfied with the resolution, he should go back to the police station, where he reported the matter, and continue with the case.

“On our own part, we are investigating the matter. We got a complaint, it was documented and we are investigating it. Statements were also taken from the ratings and we have written to their naval authority.”

Source:
https://punchng.com/naval-ratings-assault-journalists-over-parking-space/

U were even told not to park there, u still went ahead

i dont dare any man in uniform..even those bank security men beside my house..sorry

Nigeria is a highly disfunctional society

Abuse of office is a mom in Nigeria

hmmm..
It's alright

Wetin musa no go see for gate

Juell:
U were even told not to park there, u still went ahead

You should go see a psychiatrist

Juell:
U were even told not to park there, u still went ahead

Hope all is well?
They, and you can park anywhere as long as there is no No Parking sign.
Even in front of a retired Admirals home.
Attitudes like these are why the country is topsy-turvy.
Now it's a media affair, you will see the speed the retired Admiral will hang the Rating to fend for himself.
The military zone won't be so militarised again for him

When wahala jam trouble

Rating ooo. Rating. Na wa

Juell:
U were even told not to park there, u still went ahead

Soro lo so sile yi abi isokuso. Haba, Eranko ni ooo

"

A man approached us and said we should not park there, but we politely asked him if there was any other place we could park. He said I should go and park anywhere I liked.

“So, my colleague and I left the car there and walked down to the venue of the event on the same street. ""

See em face, probably you also saw to military zone sign but you would tell us that you ignored it now you are playing victim, you are lucky you came out with just scars as a reminder

Anything that wears military uniform in Nigeria is dangerous

What's really happening to our armed forces?
Not quite long, we heard that soldiers killed policemen and a citizen and now its Navy, tomorrow might be the Air force.


Who is doing this Country sef

Sorry

What is wrong with all these people? ...Round up all these uniformed offenders on a one way bus to Borno, so they can flex their muscles well

foolbuster:


You should go see a psychiatrist

Why must he park in front of a 2star general house....is he mad?... Dey politely told him...yet he refuse... Haba...he(the car owner) can be accuse of anytin....

Impunity

damiBJ:



Why must he park in front of a 2star general house....is he mad?... Dey politely told him...yet he refuse... Haba...he(the car owner) can be accuse of anytin....

And are there no better ways of handling such cases instead of violence? We have become so used to violence in this country and have accepted it as a norm. What stopped the rating from impounding the car?

damiBJ:



Why must he park in front of a 2star general house....is he mad?... Dey politely told him...yet he refuse... Haba...he(the car owner) can be accuse of anytin....

You people have been have been oppressed to the extent that you piss your pants at the mere sight of any security force in nigeria.

Ok lets even assume that it is a crime to park in front of someone's house. Does that justify the matchet cut to the head?
Now the media is involved you will see the speed they will use to do the right thing. People like you should stop ass licking these our nigerian forces. It gives them the confidence to continue to abuse you.

Just read this paragraph and see for yourself:

He stated, “On July 21, we were on duty to cover the one-year anniversary of the Don Sylvester Records at the Spa Lavender on Okunola Aina Street, Mende, Maryland. We parked in front of a building, which did not have the no parking sign, and the vehicle did not cause any obstruction. A man approached us and said we should not park there, but we politely asked him if there was any other place we could park. He said I should go and park anywhere I liked.

damiBJ:



Why must he park in front of a 2star general house....is he mad?... Dey politely told him...yet he refuse... Haba...he(the car owner) can be accuse of anytin....

Was there a sign post showing it's a 2star General's house__ na waa for you oo.

foolbuster:


You people have been have been oppressed to the extent that you piss your pants at the mere sight of any security force in nigeria.

Ok lets even assume that it is a crime to park in front of someone's house. Does that justify the matchet cut to the head?
Now the media is involved you will see the speed they will use to do the right thing. People like you should stop ass licking these our nigerian forces. It gives them the confidence to continue to abuse you.

Indeed the machete isn't appropriate rather it's wicked. However, it still doesn't change the fact that those two people didn't respect themselves.

Ratings wey never chop belle full...go see civilians dey form power....if them post them to where them suppose show power..them go complain of enemies having superior fire power.

OdefaGirl:


Was there a sign post showing it's a 2star General's house__ na waa for you oo.

They told them not to park there. Which means that if it was an ordinary civilian like them they wouldn't respect his right to ask them not to obstruct his property.

damiBJ:



Why must he park in front of a 2star general house....is he mad?... Dey politely told him...yet he refuse... Haba...he(the car owner) can be accuse of anytin....

Sincerely many Nigerians are just irresponsible and barbaric. The only thing they know is brute.

After a polite gesture he still went ahead to behave like his sense is on holiday.

One thing I like about military is they'll give you very clear instructions. Don't park there. Oga still went to park there.

Juell:
U were even told not to park there, u still went ahead

Do they have the right to even do that. It's a public road in the first place. If he wants that then he should move back to the barracks.

My brother there is nothing that can be done .this is Nigeria and one needs to use his head

etunoman76:


And are there no better ways of handling such cases instead of violence? We have become so used to violence in this country and have accepted it as a norm. What stopped the rating from impounding the car?

If the picture posted above is the Rating, then he is not a Rating of Nigerian Navy. He is a merchant Navy, a bloody civilian, a useless fellow for that matter. These Merchant Navy should stop soiling our reputation else we will declare job on them very soon.