A routine commute through Lagos traffic turned violent when a soldier allegedly assaulted Olalekan Fakoyejo, an Assistant Business Editor with TheCable, during a confrontation over traffic control in the Ogba axis of the state.

Fakoyejo was travelling in a commercial tricycle from Ikeja to Ogba when he encountered a group of soldiers managing traffic near Pleasant Event Centre, off Ajao Road. According to his account, one of the soldiers stopped another tricycle on a different lane and ordered its driver to climb onto the vehicle’s roof as punishment for a traffic infraction.

Disturbed by the scene and the gridlock it was causing, Fakoyejo said he remarked that the soldier’s action was worsening the traffic situation. The comment, made from inside his own tricycle, drew the attention of the soldier, who allegedly stormed towards him, dragged him out of the vehicle and began issuing threats.

Fakoyejo said the soldier insisted he walk over to where other soldiers were stationed, apparently to “report” himself. He refused, arguing that he had committed no offence and that the soldier had no authority to compel him to move. As the confrontation escalated, the soldier repeatedly pushed him backwards.

While another soldier approached in an apparent attempt to mediate, Fakoyejo said the first soldier suddenly slapped him as he turned to explain what had happened. A video cited in a report by TheCable reportedly shows the soldier shoving the journalist several times and attempting to strike him with a cudgel picked from the ground.

In the scuffle, Fakoyejo’s phone fell to the tarmac and its screen shattered. Witnesses at the scene were said to have urged him to leave, fearing the situation could degenerate further. As he walked away, two other soldiers allegedly confronted him and threatened to flog him before bystanders intervened.

Efforts to obtain a response from Army spokesperson Appolonia Anele were unsuccessful, as messages sent to her line had not been answered.

The incident adds to growing public concern over recurring cases of alleged brutality by military personnel against civilians, which rights advocates say undermine trust in security institutions and highlight the need for stronger accountability mechanisms within the armed forces.