By Okey Alozie
What started like a joke on Sunday morning later metamorphosis to a big clash between personnel of the Nigerian Army and Police officers at the Ideal Suite roundabout, Owerri on Control-World Bank Road Owerri.
An eye witness account revealed that the problem started between the uniform men when a Keke carrying, a female soldier was stopped by special police squad stationed at Ideal Suit roundabout. Along the line there was misunderstanding between the female soldier who was inside the Keke and the Special Squad on surveillance. The misunderstanding later escalated into physical combat which led to the female soldier sustaining serious injury on the head and was rushed to Umuguma specialist Hospital, New Owerri for urgent treatment.
Before she was rushed to hospital, the female soldier, Mrs Vivan Irabor an Igbo woman who is married to an Edo Army officer narrated her ordeal in the hands of police men. According to her, the Keke she was inside was carrying items she bought for a special thanksgiving mass which was to take place at Umuguma.
Vivan who happened to be a Lance Corporal in the Nigeria Army frowned at the ill treatment meted on her by the police officers at the Ideal Suit round about.
A young soldier who came in for Vivan explained why he have to unleash his anger on the police men who was alleged to have injured the woman soldier, “I cannot see police man assaulting a uniformed Army woman and keep quiet” the aggrieved soldier submitted. Police men who were at the scene refused to talk. The Keke people and Okada men came out enmass in support of the Army woman and her colleagues and attempted to mob the police men at the check point but luckily, the SARS operatives had a distress call and stormed the place and rescued the situation after shooting sporadically to scare people away.
Further investigation revealed that the Keke driver carrying the Army woman is her senior brother and both of them were on their way to the church service when the incident took place.
