Army said to be planning sack of 4,000 soldiers for cowardice in fight against Boko Haram

MILITARY commanders are reported to be planning to dismiss about 4,000 soldiers from the Nigerian Army over their cowardice in the face of Boko Haram attacks as part of a clampdown on indiscipline in the nation's armed forces.

 

Over the last two years, Boko Haram has made a mockery of the Nigerian military, seizing territory at will across the northeast of the country right under the noses of soldiers. In many instances, government troops have just fled at the sight of the terrorists, even when they have been better equipped.

 

In one particularly embarrassing incident in Mubi in Adamawa State, a whole battalion fled across the border into Cameroon, abandoning its equipment to the terrorists. As a result of this, the Nigerian Army plans to dismiss the soldiers who flouted orders to fight Boko Haram in Mubi last year.

 

As a result, tension appears to be simmering as soldiers in the northeast and their families are in suppressed agitation over the possibility of being axed. According to one army source who is one of the accused, a signal had been sent by the army headquarters in Abuja to its divisions for the soldiers to be dismissed without trial.

He added: “We are accused of disobeying orders to fight insurgents and also for allowing them to takeover Mubi town. Army headquarters has sent a signal for our dismissal.”

 

According to the source, the army divisions involved were from the Second Mechanised Division in Ibadan, made up of 200 soldiers, the First Mechanised Division, Kaduna, which has about 500 soldiers and some from the Third Mechanised Division in Jos.  He added that about 227 soldiers from the Third Mechanised Division in Jos had already been dismissed, as had four other soldiers from the Lokoja division.

“We are now facing a fresh allegation of supporting General Muhammadu Buhari during the last election. We have also been accused of celebrating Buhari’s victory,” he added.

However, Sani Usman, a colonel and army spokesman, dismissed the report has false. He added that he is not aware of where the information came from as the army does not sack people like that.

 

Col Usman said: "There is a standard operational procedure if anybody is accused of anything. First and foremost, the person has to be charged and tried before a sentence will be passed."