25th January, 2017
A pastor with the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Abuja, Alex Ochienu, said he was assaulted and beaten by two soldiers into a coma for refusing to obey their order to do frog jumps.
He alleged that he was flogged by Cpl. M. Dankwa and his colleague whose name he did not know, until he collapsed and was rushed to the Gwarimpa General Hospital where he was admitted at the Emergency ward.
The civil engineer said he was supervising construction works at Paradise Estate, Life Camp, Abuja when the soldiers invaded the site with officials of the Development Control Department and assaulted him and other workers.
Ochienu said the soldiers beat him with rifle butts and kicked him in the stomach simply because he told them he could not obey their order to do frog jumps as he was fasting.
The engineer said he lost his phone during the incident which occurred on January 17, 2017 at 3pm. Ochienu said despite his pleas to the rampaging soldiers that he was fasting, they refused to listen, but rather flogged him until he collapsed Punchng reports.
He said, “The soldiers rushed into the site and ordered everyone to frog-jump; they flogged the workers and threatened to shoot us. I tried to explain to them that I was weak because I was fasting, but Dankwa was infuriated by my explanation.
“He kicked me in the stomach; another soldier also joined in beating me till I collapsed. When they saw that I was almost lifeless, they left and I was rushed to the hospital by the workers.”
The cleric said he learnt the soldiers apologised to the owners of the estate “for their mistake.” But Ochienu said he planned to take legal action against the Development Control Department and the military for the assault.