Here's how Vanguard is reporting it
I Go Dye and his friends including I Go Save, Oguns Baba and his manager were allegedly brutalised by a group of military personnel led by a senior officer at the Warri Stadium when they were about to mount the stage to perform.
We gathered that trouble ensued when the comedian was called on stage by the compere, Ali baba, and was on his way to the stage when the overzealous colonel approached him. I Go Dye responded by introducing himself and those with him to the colonel, including Oguns Baba, a fellow comedian, I Go Save and his manager but unknown to him the army officer had a different agenda.
The officer pushed I Go Dye backward which led to the comedian losing balance and fell on the ground but before he could regain his balance, other low ranking officers attached to the colonel descended on I Go Dye and beat him mercilessly.
The beating continued unabated to the extent that Oguns Baba’s head was torn by the rampaging soldiers.
We gathered that all entreaties to the officer and his men to let go off I Go Dye and his colleagues fell on deaf ears which led other artistes at the venue including the compere, Ali Baba walking out of the venue en masse.
Also in a show of solidarity, market women and other who had gathered at the venue left in protest.
The incident which occurred at the Warri stadium venue of the final campaign for former governor Emanuel Uduaghan re-elections bid for Saturday’s re-run election led to droves of people leaving the venue of the campaign.
I Go Dye who confirmed the incident to Weekend Groove on phone said he had already informed his lawyers to take legal action against the Nigerian Army unless they send a written apology within seven days.
“ I confirm the story to be true. The soldiers beat me blue and black. Right now, I’m on my way to the hospital; And as I am talking to you, I have also instructed my lawyer to file a suit against the Nigerian Army unless they apologise in writing within a period of seven days,” I Go Dye stated.
Also confirming the incident, the Master of Ceremony, Ali Baba described what transpired at the Warri stadium as the height of callousness.
“I had just called up I Go Dye to come on stage when a certain Colonel BA Mohammed approached with his friends including Oguns Baba, I Go Save and his manager. I Go Dye had thought the Army officer had wanted to ask him some questions but pushed him which led to his losing his balance and hitting the ground. What followed that incident was a like a scene from horror movie,” Ali Baba stated
“ It was the height of callousness. I didn’t know that an Army officer of the rank of a Colonel could display such callousness. The incident led all of us to leave the stadium because the officer refused to apologise.”
