The Acting Director, Army Public Relations, Col. Sani Usman, in a statement on Monday, vowed that the Army would ensure that the soldiers involved were punished.
He said the photograph of a soldier flogging a robbery suspect, who was stripped bare and lying in a dirty drainage, which appeared on the front page of a major national newspaper and other social media platforms, had done incalculable damage to the image of the service.
Usman said the action of the soldiers contradicted the ethics of the military tradition and professionalism in the service.
The statement reads in part: “The attention of The Nigerian Army has been drawn to a front page photograph of some soldiers maltreating a suspected robber at Mararraba, Nasarawa State, on the front page of today’s edition of Daily Trust newspaper.
“Sadly, it is also trending on the Social Media. There is no doubt the photograph has done incalculable damage to the image of the service. The act was unfortunate and at variance with military ethics and professionalism.
“The Nigerian Army wishes to inform the public that the perpetrators of the offence have been identified, summoned and would face disciplinary action”.
Usman said the Army had also reached out to the management of the newspaper over what he termed its “poor and worrisome editorial judgment”, as represented by the front page cover given to the photograph.
“Alerting appropriate Nigerian Army authorities would have been a better option that will be met with prompt response”, he said.
“We wish to assure the public that the Nigerian Army would continue to protect and respect human rights and that this regrettable incidence should not be used as a yardstick to judge the entire Army”, Usman added.
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