By Taiwo-Hassan Adebayo Three hundred and fifty-six (356) soldiers are formally exiting the Nigerian Army citing “loss of interes...
By Taiwo-Hassan Adebayo
Three hundred and fifty-six (356) soldiers are formally
exiting the Nigerian Army citing “loss of interest”, PREMIUM TIMES can report,
in a development insiders say is indicative of broken morale in the army.
The army is currently engaged in various combat operations
as insecurity worsens across the country.
Many of the soldiers are among the troops engaged in the
decade-long war against Boko Haram in the Northeast, while others are from
various other formations across the country.
But apart from the 356 who are leaving for losing interest
in the army, 24 others are exiting because they want “to take traditional
title,” making a total of 380 soldiers, including two Master Warrant Officers
and 28 Warrant Officers, voluntarily discharging from the army, according to
sources with direct knowledge of the development.
Already, the Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai, has, this
July, approved the voluntary discharge of all the 380 soldiers who are to
proceed on terminal leave on December 20 and disengage on January 3 next year
in accordance with Nigerian Army Administrative Policy and Procedure 27
Paragraphs 3 and 4, our sources confirmed.
“That the reason given by most of them is ‘loss of interest’
is an indication of low morale in the army due to poor leadership,” one army
insider said, claiming the army had been “broken, demoralised and polarised
more than ever before under Buratai.”
“It is an indication of the rot in the system,” said another
officer who knew about the mass disengagement.
More than those enduring the long official process to exit
the army, many soldiers have deserted the army especially from among the troops
combating Boko Haram in the Northeast, sources in the frontline said.
At various times, commanders and soldiers have appeared in
videos complaining about logistical support and equipment available to them to
combat the terrorists in a war that has in ten years precipitated a humongous
humanitarian disaster in the Lake Chad region, displacing millions of people
and killing thousands.
In one case, a former commander of Operation Lafiya Dole,
Olusegun Adeniyi, appeared in a rare video admitting soldiers were outgunned by
the terrorists. In that video, March this year, Mr Adeniyi could be seen among
disorganised troops decrying losses of men and equipment in a particular
encounter with Boko Haram, who were “facing us” from “every flank with not less
than15 gun trucks.”
Mr Adeniyi was swiftly removed from his position after the
video emerged, with the current commander, Faruq Yahaya, taking over.
On Tuesday, troops of 25 Brigade on patrol were ambushed by
terrorists on Damboa-Maiduguri Road. In the ensuing fight, 37 soldiers were
killed in action and “about 60” unaccounted for, according to security sources
briefed following the losses, which also included nine gun trucks.
“Tempers were rising amongst the troops of 25 Task Force
Brigade,” a source in the frontline said after the attack on Tuesday, before
“the efforts to calm the situation.”
However, the military officially told the public only two
soldiers died, while 17 terrorists were killed.
“That official press release is a total lie to preempt the
press,” one army source said.
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The source said the misrepresentation to avoid having to
answer questions about the use of heavy funds and also to prevent renewed calls
for the removal of the service chiefs.
Apart from the Northeastern anti-terrorism operations, the
army, alongside the airforce, is combatting the spiralling armed violence from
rural banditry and farmer-herdsmen conflict in the Northwest and Northcentral.
In these areas, the exacerbating insecurity appears to have gone beyond the
constabulary capacities of the police.
Even in the Southeast, the army has been involved in federal
efforts to stop the secessionist threats; and in the Niger Delta, it helps in
protecting oil and gas infrastructure.
Meanwhile, apart from the 380 soldiers voluntary exiting the
army, mostly for losing interest, six others are being discharged based on the
recommendation of the armed force’s medical board.
Thus, a total of 386 soldiers are disengaging – and 356
among them have opted out over “loss of interest” amid morale crisis in the
service.
Units and formations have been directed to recover all
military items from the affected soldiers, who are to report to the army
headquarters for documentation by October 20 and complete forms to make
withdrawals from various contributory schemes.
Many more have deserted without any official process,
according to our sources.
“They just abandoned their guns and uniforms and ran away,”
one source said.
The spokesperson for the army, Musa Sagir, denied claim of
low morale in the army. “The Nigerian Army is in very high morale,” he said.
He added that the army is “very well” prosecuting all the
operations it is involved in whether “the insurgency in the Northeast and
banditry in the Northwest.”
He said there was no mass disengagement happening in the
army. But PREMIUM TIMES reviewed documents and spoke with sources,
contradicting Mr Sagir’s position.
Source
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