Soldier arrested after asking colleagues not shoot at protesters

Nigerian Army said it has arrested one of its personnel who was found culpable of cybercrime, The Guardian reports.

The soldier was identified as Lance Corporal Harrisson Friday.

“The hooded soldier hiding behind the mask to commit cybercrime has been apprehended in the ongoing cyber operations in support of Crocodile Smile VI,” the Army said.

The arrest comes days after the Army commenced its Crocodile Smile exercise, a “yearly event set out to train NA officers and soldiers in its efforts to ensuring the safety and security of Nigeria and her citizens.”

The army said the annual exercise will for the first time have a cyber warfare component.

“This is the first-ever Cyberwarfare exercise to be conducted in the history of the African Armed Forces,” the army said in a statement.

Before Friday was arrested, a video showing speaking up against the use of deadly force to quell ongoing protests against police brutality went viral.

Security operatives later opened fire at unarmed protesters in Lekki area of Lagos, killing scores of persons.

The corporal was reported to have 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.

The Army dismissed the video as information coming from a ‘fake soldier’ but later announced on Tuesday night that the man in the video was a corporal who has been taken into custody.