The court in Benin where the soldiers stormed

There was pandemonium on Wednesday at the premises of Evbuoriaria Magistrate Court, Benin, where Soldiers, forcefully removed four suspects who were to be arraigned to face trial for alleged traffic offences from the court.

The suspects whose names were given as Edna Oriakogba (driver), Paulinus Ekwugwu, Eddy Inogie and Okwolise Lucky, had earlier been taken to War Against Indiscipline (WAI) office located within the premises of the state Ministry of Arts, Culture and Tourism by officers of the agency who had earlier impounded a Mitsubishi car with registration number BEN 451 FH, driven by the suspected offenders for an alleged traffic offence committed along Airport Road in Benin.

It was gathered that while they were at the WAI office, soldiers numbering about seven stormed the premises and created a scene as they fired gunshots into the air before beating up a staff of the agency.

Following their failure to secure the release of the suspects at the office of WAI, the soldiers later moved to the Evbuoriaria Magistrate Courts where the suspects were to be arraigned.

The soldiers who stormed the court premises in a Toyota Hilux vehicle while the WAI officers were waiting for the case to be assigned for trial, forcefully removed the suspects from the WAI vehicle into their own vehicle.

All those in the premises of the court, including the staff, scampered in different directions for safety, as action of the soldiers caused panic. A Chief Magistrate who was in the court at the time described the action of the soldiers as shameful and ordered that a petition be written against them.

Also commenting on the incident, the Chairman of Edo State WAI, David Olukoga, alleged that the soldiers, who carried out the action, were attached to Setraco Construction Company in Benin.

He added that the military men acted on the order of an expatriate, who works with the construction company.