Three policemen and a soldier were on Saturday seriously injured during a bloody clash between soldiers and policemen in Benin.
The timely intervention of the police and army authorities saved a police station from being razed.
The mayhem followed alleged beating of a soldier who had intervened in a misunderstanding riot involving a commercial bus driver and some traffic policemen.
The incident, which led to sporadic shooting into the air by policemen, paralysed activities at the popular Oba Market, Benin.
According to eyewitnesses, the bus driver was arrested by a group of policemen, both regular and traffic wardens, and was about being taken away before the soldier, who was passing by intervene.
The soldier, said to be a private, was in mufti and was allegedly beating and hit on the head with a belt by one of the policemen.
Some soldiers in uniform, who arrived the scene, identified the man as a colleague and came to his rescue.
With the assistance of some other soldiers, they swooped on the near-by police station and forcefully took away the inspector and two other officers.
Report of the incident also got to the Ogida Mobile Police Barracks from where re-inforcement came for the policemen.
The shooting and the confusion would have got out of hand, but for the intervention of the Commissioner of Police, Edo State Command, Mr. Paul Ochonu, the Edo State Deputy Governor, Chief Mike Oghiadomhe who got in touch with the commandant of the Army School of Transport and Supply, Ugbowo who stopped the soldiers from going to the scene fully prepared.
Ochonu said the incident was unfortunate and confirmed that a panel had been constituted to look into it.
The panel is made up of soldiers and policemen and is expected to submit its report on Monday.
In his reaction, Oghiadomhe urged military and paramilitary men to see themselves as working together for the progress of the country and not as rivals.
The injured soldier and policemen are currently receiving treatment at a private clinic in the city.
