By Uche Amunike
Weeks after Lieutenant Chika Viola Anele of the Nigerian Army assaulted a serving Corps member, Miss Ezeiruaku Ifeyinwa Fidelia at the 13 Brigade Headquarters in Calabar, Cross River State, no justice has been sought for the dehumanized female Corps member.
The ugly incident happened when after an argument with the Army officer, she asked the Corps member to kneel down and then violently humiliated her by pouring dirty water on her body, all the time, ensuring that the dirty water seeped through her clothes into the inner recesses of her body. She carry out this deliberate act all the time ensuring that the muddy water entered from the head to every part of the body of the dehumanized female Corps member.
The junior officer, Anele, as if it was not enough also slapped her in between the wicked act of pouring the muddy water on her and hit her with the plastic cup she used in dehumanizing her.
Unfortunately the whole incident was recorded and the video went viral.
When this incident happened the Director, Army Public Relations, Brig. Gen Onyema Nwachukwu condemned the action of the junior officer and described it as unprofessional and against the established ethics of discipline in the Armed Forces. He assured Nigerians that because of the respect that the Army had for fundamental human rights of citizens, he would ensure that the matter is investigated and the officer would undergo a trial within the ambit of the Armed Forces law. He also apologized to the victim, her family, the NYSC and to Nigerians generally for the way the officer dehumanized the female youth Corps member.
Several other organizations and individuals including the Minister of Women Affairs, Pauline Tallen also promised to personally address the issue by seeking Justice for the dehumanized female youth corps member. Sadly they all seem to have forgotten to carry out their promises.
Ezeiruka, has however, recently drafted a letter which she read in a popular radio station where she complained about being abandoned to her fate, in spite of all the promises made to seek justice for her. The letter was captioned, ‘Nothing has Happened Since Reporting my Maltreatment to the Military Authorities’.
She bared her heart in the letter, where she expressed her sadness that the female officer is yet to face the wrath of the law as was promised after her ordeal. She stated that instead of punishing her, the Nigerian Army has allowed her to go on a three-week course to Jaji, in Kaduna state, adding that once she ends her service year and leaves, the case will die.
She maintained that the NYSC which ought to help her in fighting for justice did not check on her or even ask who the dehumanized Corps member is. They rather called her to ask if she wrote through them before getting a lawyer and then, asked her to drop the case.
According to her, they gave her a book and pen and asked her to write that she has withdrawn the case, while also insisting that she writes formally through them.
She however, refused and walked away from them without writing anything or accepting to withdraw the case.
She has made up her mind to seek the legal path and find justice for herself, saying that she will sue Lieutenant Chika Viola and the Army authorities.
She reaffirmed that the several organizations, groups and individuals that came out to blame the female military officer that dehumanized her and all those who promised to help her seek Justice were yet to fulfill their promises to her, thereby, leaving her to her fate.
