A Nigerian soldier has been taken into custody after speaking up against use of deadly force to quell ongoing protests against police brutality.
Harrison Friday, a lance corporal, circulated a video clip on social media to urge colleagues to disregard any directive to open fire on protesters because it would be too costly for the country.
Fake Soldier pic.twitter.com/XRk4XqnuBH
— Nigerian Army (@HQNigerianArmy) October 19, 2020
After initially dismissing the video as coming from a ‘fake soldier’, the Army announced on Tuesday night that the man in the video was a corporal and said he had been taken into custody.
Mr. Friday was accused of cybercrime for releasing the video, and it was not immediately clear where he was being held.
The hooded soldier has been apprehended pic.twitter.com/XIW1NvaW5L
— Nigerian Army (@HQNigerianArmy) October 21, 2020
The Army said credited the arrest to early successes of its so-called operation crocodile smile, which was launched last weekend to purportedly counter Anonymous hacker collective and others.
©PeoplesGazette
