One particular falsehood thatโs been making the rounds on social media is the claim that overtaking a military convoy is illegal and carries severe consequences under Nigerian law. This belief, fueled by a viral article, is not just falseโitโs dangerous. Dangerous because unchallenged falsehood distorts public understanding of true facts.
The viral article in question claims that overtaking a military convoy is a โserious offenseโ punishable under several Nigerian laws, including the Armed Forces Act (AFA) 2004, Road Traffic Act 2004, and National Security Agencies Act 2004. It even cites a supposed case, Aoku v. State (2017), as precedent.
๐ฝ๐ช๐ฉ ๐๐๐ง๐โ๐จ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐ฉ๐ง๐ช๐ฉ๐: none of them exists in the light the article painted them.
๐จ๐๐๐๐ ๐ญ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐จ๐๐: The articleโs interpretation of Section 119 of the Armed Forces Act is entirely wrong. That section deals with disciplining members of the militaryโnot civilians. It doesnโt mention overtaking military convoys or anything remotely related to traffic offenses.
๐ต๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐บ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐จ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐จ๐๐ 2004: Again, the article outrightly fabricated this section of the law. It cites a non-existent Section 15 of the National Security Agencies Act, claiming it empowers security agencies to take necessary actions to maintain national security, including prosecuting individuals who overtake military convoys. However, a review of the Act clearly shows only 8 sections, and there is nothing like any offence of overtaking military convoy.
๐น๐๐๐ ๐ป๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐จ๐๐ 2004: It fabricated this again. Section 35 never spoke about military convoy and it never prohibited overtaking military vehicles.
๐จ๐๐๐ ๐. ๐บ๐๐๐๐: No Court of Appeal decision has sentenced anyone to five years imprisonment for overtaking a military vehicle.
๐๐ก๐ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐๐ฅ๐๐ฆ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐๐ข๐ฌ๐ข๐ง๐๐จ๐ซ๐ฆ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง
The real danger in the viral article is not just the claim itselfโitโs the falsehood that it spreads. By misleading the public into thinking and believing that overtaking military convoys is illegal, the article inadvertently legitimizes likely human rights abuses and also makes citizens feel in the wrong in the face of military aggression. The article may even encourage some military personnel as a basis to justify human right abuse.
While itโs wise and prudent to approach military convoys with cautionโfor safety purposesโthereโs no law that forbids overtaking them.
๐๐ฉ๐๐ญ๐จ๐ฅ๐ ๐๐ข๐๐ญ๐จ๐ซ ๐๐ฌ๐ช.
๐๐ข๐๐ญ๐จ๐ซ@๐ฅ๐๐ ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐๐ฒ๐๐ญ๐ญ๐จ๐ซ๐ง๐๐ฒ๐ฌ.๐๐จ๐ฆ
