At least, 40 soldiers in North-Eastern are refusing to fight Islamist Boko Haram militants until they receive better equipment.
The BBC reported on Tuesday that one of the mutineers said that he and 39 others would refuse orders to deploy.
The alleged soldier spoke with the BBC just as the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Kenneth Minimah, warned officers and men of the Nigerian Army to desist from any form of mutiny in the face of the ongoing campaign against the Boko Haram sect.
The BBC stated that a defence ministry spokesman said the incident was being investigated.
The Federal Government had declared state of emergency in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states because of the attacks by the Boko Haram sect.
“Soldiers are dying like fowl,” the soldier, who said he and his colleagues were just outside Maiduguri, told the BBC.
“The Nigerian army is not ready to fight Boko Haram,” he said, explaining that soldiers were not being given enough weapons and ammunition to take them on.
“Boko Haram are inside the bush, everywhere,” he said “They [senior commanders] are sacrificing soldiers,” he said.
The Defence headquarters spokesman, Gen Chris Olukolade, told the BBC’s Focus on Africa programme that he could not confirm the reports of a mutiny but would investigate.
He denied that soldiers were being “sent to die”.
“We may not have all it takes but we are improving on it [equipment] regularly,” he said.
But the Defence Headquarters, in a statement on Tuesday denied the report that troops in the North -East had taken a decision to refuse to obey directives from superior officers.
Olukolade, said in an electronic mail on Tuesday , said the level of cowardice described in the report was not in the character of the Nigerian soldier.
He described the interview granted the BBC as lies by an anonymous soldier.
Olukolade said it was part of the the antics of mischief-makers to promote the course of the Boko Haram sect.
He stressed that the military had not sent any soldier to the frontline without providing the necessary equipment.
Olukolade warned that mutiny remained a grave offence attracting severe punishment.
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Nonsense warning from the top Army hierarchy, why are they sending people children to their early graves by not providing them with weapons? Meanwhile they (Generals) are in their air-conditioned rooms/offices pocketing a large chunk of the money that would have been used to fight this insurgency.
ReplyDeleteThis insurgency is a good business for a lot of people in Govt including the Military Generals who have been pocketing the huge money (Trillions) continuously being pumped into fighting BH. This is why they (the Generals) will not want it to end any time soon especially in a govt that is reluctant and shy away from punishing any corruption related offence. Boko Haram is a Multi-Billion Dollar/ Multi-Trillion Naira money spinning business for the Politicians and Fat Belly Generals fuelled by the Blood of innocent Nigerians and unfortunate solders who are now caught between the devil and the deep blu sea. This is the crux of the matter.
ReplyDeleteJust have a look at the 2 statements by Chris Olukolade: he said improving and later he said providing necessary equiptment.
ReplyDelete“We may not have all it takes but we are improving on it [equipment] regularly,”
the military had not sent any soldier to the frontline without providing the necessary equipment .
THE SOLUTION TO THESE MENANCE IS LET THE C IN C DECLARE STATE OF EMERGENCY ON THE DEFENSE HQ/ AND AWARD DIRECT AMMUNITION CONTRACT FROM THE PRESIDENCY TO A HIGH TECH COUNTRY TO SUPPLY UP TO DATE EQUIPMENT FOR THE SOLDIERS ON GROUND.
The generals are stupid, wicked and callous. Why have they not personally visited and act leadership by example in sambisa forest
ReplyDeleteNigerians must stand up to campaign for the right to life of the Nigerian Soldiers. The soldiers are our brothers, children, spouses and friends. If the fear of committing mutiny will not allow them to speak, then we the civilians can speak for them, afterall, it is our money that is been used to procure these equipments and it is our lives that are meant to be protected.
ReplyDeleteNigerian Soldiers are poorly equipped to fight BH Period! If refusing to go and fight warrants death sentence as Minimah claims, then he and his co-generals deserve to be tied to the stake first cos they have greedily commited lots of attrocities leading to loss of lives of our precious soldiers. If the soldiers go to war with poor equipment, BH will kill them. If they refuse to go, Minimah will kill them. It is therefore better for them to refuse to go for a just cause and die in the hand of yeye govt officials than in the Sambisa forest.
The bottom line is that better arms and ammunition should be provided for the soldiers to be able to contain the rascally BH. If however any soldier is found collaborating with BH to the detriment of national interest, then he should be tied to stake. but for now, am pleading with the Army Chiefs to provide enough weapons for the soldiers and forgive any previous mutiny for peace to reign.