Pascal Arogorn Ibe
Soldiers of an unidentified battalion in Operation Lafiya Dole have protested their posting to a location in the Theatre of Operation.
The aggrieved soldiers, according to sources at the Maimalari barracks besieged the headquarters of the Theatre Command in Borno State, shooting sporadically into the air on Thursday night following their deployment.
They cited non-payment of allowances and poor equipment as reasons for their rebellion.
Some of the soldiers who spoke under anonymity recall how a whole unit that went for reinforcement when Marte was captured last month, perished under superior firepower of the enemy forces.
When contacted on Friday via a text message, the Media Coordinator for Operation Lafiya Dole, Colonel Ado Isa, confirmed that there was a minor issue involving troops welfare and admin issues which was promptly addressed.
But the Director, Army Public Relations, Brigadier General Mohammed Yerima was yet to respond to a WhatsApp message sent seeking an explanation.
This protest is coming on the heels of arms procurements mystery recently exposed by the National Security Adviser, Babagana Monguno, where both the outgoing and incoming service chiefs said they are in the dark on the whereabouts of the funds or equipment.
No less than ₦1 billion was released for the procurement according to Monguno, a retired Major General.
Monguno had on March 12 denied that funds for arms procurement have gone missing under the former Service Chiefs.
The BBC’s Hausa Service had earlier reported that the NSA, Major-General Babagana Monguno, hinted at the missing funds during an interview.
“No one knows what happened to the money, but by God’s grace, the president will investigate to find out where it went or where the goods went,” the General reportedly said in Hausa.
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