General Tukur Buratai |
Imagine all Nigerian soldiers running away from fighting insurgency, that means the country is finished.
According to the sun, one of the
soldiers has been running away from boko haram insurgent in the northeast due to a new psychological threat (not because of insufficient ammunition to face the enemies).
It is because the war is taking too long to end and they are now tired and bored.
A reliable source in the military said that the army has been witnessing an incredibly high number of deserters this year alone, especially in the northeast where troops are abandoning their posts.
“They said the pass, which is not more than two weeks, is given to personnel after spending six months in the frontline, was not enough for them to solve family problems which emanated as a result of their absence and it did not give them enough time to stay with their children.
“Others said their long absence has resulted in broken homes where some wives have had to divorce their husbands,” some military personnel told The Sun, narrating how some soldiers deliberately deserted the warfront after getting the mandatory pass claiming they are going to see their families.
It was reported that some troops have been in the war front for more than two years and looks unending to some of them. In fact, some troops were even from a military encampment in Lagos and yet been fighting in the northeast for more three years.
Unbelievable! Soldiers tired of fighting, flee Boko Haram war
Boko Haram militants posing with their flag. Governor Shettima says they have killed more Nigerians than reported.
Boko Haram militants posing with their flag. Governor Shettima says they have killed more Nigerians than reported.
One of the troop narrated the sad tale of the soldiers in the battle front thus: “Our long absence and separation from our families have ended up turning some of our wives to harlots because there are some soldiers, when they come back on pass, they find their wives pregnant and the authorities knows about this because we always report such cases.
“For some of us, our female children are beginning to sleep around and our sons engage in one criminal activity or the other all because their fathers are not at home…”
However, the Army public relations officer, Colonel Sani Usman rubbished the report that soldiers are deserting the warfront.
He said: “We have started with the unit in Badagry, 112 Special Forces and some other ones.
“It is a gradual process but, I want you to understand is that you don’t pull people out of their locations just like that without taking into consideration other things.
“Right now, there is a unit of the army at Jaji who are undergoing post-deployment training because of the traumatic stress they went through.
“So, you have to prepare a unit to go into battle, it’s not an easy thing. There is an established procedure of going in and pulling out.
“Those that are going in go to our Special Forces Training School at Buni-Yadi.
“Then, they will gradually change the unit and the unit will be repatriated to Jaji and go through induction training before they are reunited with their families”.
“So, it is not correct that soldiers are deserting the warfront because they have over-stayed there.
“I would have that you oblige me with the particulars of those soldiers who ran away because they have not been rotated.”