Soldiers Allegedly Assault Teacher During Soludo’s Traditional Wedding

By Anuoluwapo Lebi

A teacher, who has identified himself as Valentine, with ‘Valylight English’ as his user’s name on Facebook has recounted his ordeal in the hands of solders who were attached with the traditional wedding of daughter of Anambra state governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo.

While it was all jubilation and happiness to the Anambra State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo and his family, who married out his first daughter, Adaora, in marriage to Mr Arinze Ibekwe, an indigene of Odoje village, in Onitsha North Local Government Area of the state, another young Nigerian, a teacher of the English language was beaten, dehumanized and thrown into sadness by soldiers attached with Adaora’s traditional marriage, in a bid to clear a traffic jam that occurred in Igbo-ukwu, Anambra state.

The splendorous traditional marriage was performed on Saturday at the governor’s home town in Isuofia, Aguata Local Government Area of the state

In a fabulous and grandeur aura, the traditional wedding witnessed dignitaries, government officials and traditional rulers, but “Someone’s happy day caused my own day spoilt.”, Valentine lamented.

According to Valentine, in a statement he posted on his Facebook page, “Last Saturday, 10th of August, at about 5pm, at Igbo-ukwu, something happened that left tears welled up in my eyes and my heart groaning in deep pains.

“HQ Nigerian Army , no be so o.

“First, I didn’t know that Charles Chukwuma Soludo ‘s daughter was to be traditionally taken that day in his hometown, Isuofia, a neighboring town to Igbo-ukwu.

“I was inside a shuttle bus, just beside the window. I had my earpiece on as I was holding a private lesson for someone on WhatsApp: I was talking and typing simultaneously(as my WhatsApp lesson usually is). I noticed that our bus stopped for some minutes but I was in a deep conversation with my lesson client that I did not raise my head to know what was happening. I was sure that there was no police/military checkpoint in Igbo-ukwu, if not, I would not have had my earpiece on. It was not my first time of holding a lesson while in/on a bus.

“I just heard: “This one dey make call!” and a gloved hand snatched my phone from my hand almost at the same time that I was getting a punch on my head.

“It wasn’t a checkpoint. They were only out of their Hilux to direct the small traffic congestion that was there. Something that got cleared within 5minutes.

“I went out of the bus. I had in mind to explain to him that I wasn’t making call but holding a lesson, and didn’t know army personnel were around. Finish. I got to where he was(my mistake was that I should have waited for him to calm down since he still appeared angry). I started my explanation with, “Agile, abeg, I be teacher…”

“The next I heard was “And so f.cking what?” He smashed the phone on the dusty road and slapped me. My tripod fell off my hand and he trampled on it. The people around could only scream their sympathy.

“I later learnt that Soludo’s daughter’s traditional marriage was that day and they were headed there. Reason the road was busy. But I didn’t know. I was not headed there myself. I was just going my way.

“I did nothing. My tripod is battered beyond repair. My phone is destroyed. I got assaulted.

“Someone’s happy day caused my own day spoilt.

“My biggest pain in all these is the fact that the guy who did it was a small boy that I could engage in a physical-punch combat if he weren’t in a military camouflage.

“The second time this year I got assaulted by uniform men on the road.

“I will quietly lick my wound. What else can I do in a direction-less country?

“I might not be very consistent in making posts here for now because ‘phone-borrowing’ has been activated. I now have to always swallow a few ‘mouths’ of insults from my little sister before she allows me use her phone.