Guards of the ‘Shame’ Brigade
Seven elite soldiers, supposedly among the most highly trained personnel in the HQ Nigerian Army comparable to the American Navy SEALs, the German Kommando Spezialkräfte, the British 22 SAS, Saddam’s Republican Guard, or France’s 1er RPIMa. That is the level of the Nigerian Guards Brigade.
They are not only said to be well-trained; their selection process, training programme, specialised skills, and mission focus are all top-notch. They are tasked with protecting the top echelon of the three branches of Nigeria's ruling hierarchy: the executive (President, Vice President), the legislative (Senate President, Speaker), and the judiciary (Chief Justice).
Yet, they have been reduced to gun-carrying clowns—yes, clowns! They stormed a civilian procession in full paratrooper style, right in the heart of Abuja, and killed civilians. The clip showing seven elite soldiers dragging a teenage girl, armed with nothing but her hijab, which they seized, is perhaps the most thought-provoking image from the senseless massacre that occurred yesterday, 28 March 2025, in Abuja.
All I see are well-trained cowards, unprincipled, inhumane soldiers, a disgrace to the military institution that trained them and to the elite unit they represent. As Thomas Sankara once said, “Without patriotic political education, a soldier is only a potential criminal.” This is also a shameful indictment of the political class that holds the power to summon them and instruct them to commit such felonies against the very citizens they swore to protect. Their institution may be shameless, but this was undoubtedly a shameful outing.
–Haj Baqeer
