The Nigerian Defence Academy has still refused to make comments for the second day despite more videos surfacing on the Internet showing cadets blocking major roads in Lagos and other parts of Nigeria and causing gridlock.
In a video posted on Twitter by @SubdeliveryZone and retweeted by a former Minister of Education, Mrs. Oby Ezekwesili, some cadets are seen in front of a Domino Pizza joint in Sabo, Yaba, threatening to stop traffic and cause gridlock.
One of the cadets can be heard saying, “See, it is our time. I want to block this road. Ok, now wait. I want to block this road on my own. They can only horn but they cannot do anything. It is my own time. They can only horn but they cannot do anything. Do you understand?”
Incidentally, the act took place opposite Marda Barracks, Yaba.
When contacted on Saturday and informed of the existence of more videos depicting NDA cadets as unruly, the Spokesman for the academy, Major Abubakar Abdullahi, said “Ok” and did not comment any further.
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The acts of indiscipline perpetrated by the cadets is known as ‘plumming’ and usually takes place between Christmas and New Year holiday.
In some instances, the cadets block major roads to assert their authority while in some other instances, they pick on commercial drivers and ask them to do punishments.
The NDA has always promised to take action on the matter but has never been known to mete out any punishment.
Commenting on one of the videos, Mrs. Ezekwesili tweeted, “I had tried to understand various versions of this story involving cadets of the Nigerian Army but still don’t get it.
What is the meaning of this scale of lawlessness and intoxication by the lowest in the chain of the military in our democracy.”
Another Twitter user, Musa Najeem, wrote, “We are getting to a state of anarchy just because the system has failed to punish crimes and inhumanity to man.”
Theo Odunlami also wrote, “If the commander-in-chief can disobey court orders; if democracy can be hijacked by tyrants in the Nigerian Army, then the cadets are copying their superiors.”
Adebayo Daniel Wanatoi tweeted, “The average Nigerian Army personnel is a monster. No matter what they do, you can’t correct them. If you do and they are more than one, they will beat you like a criminal and if they have a gun, you may be shot. That is how silly this society is.”
