There is a tragic lack of orientation and it is costing us dearly. At this rate, they are going to kill us all.

The tragic events of 4, July- shocking in the sheer brazenness and shameful in cringe-worthy intensity-should leave a sobering effect on every sensible minded Nigerian citizen. The ugly scenario of soldiers in full military uniform going on a destructive rampage, causing a public nuisance, burning down BRT vehicles and beating up innocent citizens in retaliation to one of their comrades who was allegedly knocked down and killed by a fleeing BRT bus driver can only be viewed as a symptom of a society that has for all intents and purposes, failed. For what possible excuse can custodians of a nation’s security give for turning on the very citizens that pays them to protect and defend?

Friday’s display of madness by members of the military also opens up another layer of the gangrenous ulcer that has come to define our collective existence, one that is festering slowly and spreading to all aspects of national life, waiting for any triggering factor that would induce a fresh wave of deadly symptoms. One where we all act like civilized individuals one moment, then turn to Conan-era barbarians the next. A society that hosts the World Economic Forum in its capital for breakfast, then lynches 21 year old boys and old women accused of falling down the skies at lunch time without batting our collective eyelids.

Granted, the military represents only a segment of the overall populace but Friday’s mayhem was one disaster too many for an already credibility challenged military that has wilted at moments that called for gallantry. This perverse disregard of human lives and property and poor grasp of what it means to wear the once prestigious, camouflaged colours of service has brought us to this odious state of affairs. To the point where we put up with an army that is at once unable to lead the charge to rescue 270 school girls abducted under a state of emergency but does not hesitate to show erring BRT drivers just who is boss.

But we cannot continue to tolerate the culture of impunity that breeds this sort of behaviour where members of the armed forces ascribe to themselves the morbid power to deliver justice arbitrarily. The Nigerian populace demands an unreserved apology from the military high command, backed with a decisive promise that such events are never to occur again. Ever.

Actually, the military owes the nation several apologies, supported with full-fledged investigations, complete with the dispensation of justice without fear or favour where indictments have been made.

The military should apologise to the government and people of Lagos state for the wanton destruction that occurred on Friday, then follow it up with a transparent justice system that punishes the perpetrators so that such an incidence never repeats itself. The Military owes the nation, and the families of the missing Chibok school girls most importantly, an apology for bungling the rescue of the girls and misleading the general public with the false news of a rescue that could have set genuine rescue attempts steps back.

The military has an appalling track record of human rights violations and recent incidences in Gboko, Benue state where soldiers hired to guard a factory belonging to the Dangote group massacred 7 members of the host community and injured several others during an angry protest gives credence to the accusations by the United Nations and foreign observers of extreme human rights abuses. There has been detailed documentation of rapes, torture and mass killings of innocent citizens, occurring side by side with reports of rogue generals, mutinous soldiers and senseless shootouts.

This has to stop.

The nation has bled enough and a military that has lost sight of the purpose of its existence causes more harm than good and is of no use to anyone. These damning reports have long prevented the decent soldiers from accessing the required training and career advancement options offered by foreign countries and bodies insistent on the rule of law. It also hampers the country from benefitting from pivotal international cooperation as seen with the Chibok girls saga.

Steps should be taken to screen the prospective entrants into the nation’s armed forces and at the same time, efforts should be made to expel the rotten eggs from the system. The armed forces should be revamped holistically and the proper indoctrination, consistent with contemporary techniques in peace keeping and warfare should be introduced to the training. Our soldiers need to understand why they are soldiers in the first place. They appear to have no clue.

There is a tragic lack of orientation and it is costing us dearly. At this rate, they are going to kill us all.