Naval Officers Beat Teacher to Coma in Ogun

About six naval officers Wednesday in Abeokuta beat one of the teachers at the Nigerian Navy Secondary School, Mr. Rashid Ibrahim, to a state of coma following an argument.

Ibrahim, who teaches Food and Nutrition at the school, located in Abeokuta, was said to have been rescued by another officer after which he was later rushed to the school clinic.

The school Commandant, Commodore M. A. Olatunji, who declined to speak on the incident, said he would have to get clearance from the naval authorities before he could make any comment.

However, the victim who spoke with journalists on his sick bed, complained of pains all over his body.

While narrating his ordeal, he said he was beaten for no just cause, adding that  the officers accused him of abusing one of them.

He said:  "Almost all the parts of my body are in pains; the major ones are my head and my back. My ribs are affected and I have bruises in my mouth because they gave me blows on my mouth."
On how it happened, he said: "When I got to the gate of my office this morning, normally when you get there, a rating officer will check your car. So, I was expecting them to come out, they didn't come out.

"There were two buses at the gate blocking the entrance. I called one of the officers, Aliyu, to ask for what was going on, but in the process, he just flared up.

"Suddenly, another rating officer, Oyerinde, who was at the security post, threw a stone on my car.   They were later joined by the most senior officer, Mr. Shodiya, ordered that the men should beat me and they all pounced on me.

"They used their iron belts to beat me and dragged me on the floor. They used sticks and every other available thing to beat me. People tried to stop them, but they refused until the commandant came out to stop them."

However, an eyewitness, who is the sports master of the school, Mr. Mathew Oduronbi, said the trouble started following an argument that ensued between the victim and one of the rating officers identified as Aliyu.