Read Why Nigerian Army dismissed 250 soldiers

Army

The Nigerian Army has made clarifications on the reason they dismissed 250 soldiers recently.

The soldiers had on Tuesday, February 9, stormed the Kaduna secretariat of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) to plead for reinstatement into the Nigerian Army after being dismissed since February 1 this year.

The soldiers during their pleas, explained that they were dismissed for not being present during their last parade, a situation which they claimed was caused by the inability of some of them to get vehicles to transport them to the parade ground.

But the Army spokesperson, Colonel Sani Kukasheka Usman, in a news briefing, informed that the soldiers in question had deliberately absconded after being told that they were to advance to the northeast on January 6, 2016 and only returned when it was apparent that others had been moved to separate units.

He noted, during his address also, that the Army had made concerted efforts to reinstate and integrate them back into the military after their initial dismissal, but they have shown indiscipline by their recent acts.

“The attention of the Nigerian Army has also been drawn to a set of 250 protesting dismissed soldiers in Nigerian Union of journalists (NUJ) Secretariat, Kaduna pleading through the media to be reabsorbed back again into the Nigerian Army.

“The protesting soldiers were those soldiers dismissed last week by the Nigerian Army over gross acts of indiscipline, cowardice and absence without leave. They were part of the 2,023 dismissed soldiers last year that were earlier reinstated back into the Service by the present Chief of Army Staff.

“However these set of soldiers (the 205) absconded for more than one week when they were told that they were to move to North East on the 6th of January 2016. They started coming back when they realised that others were moved to units other than the theatre of operations in the North East.

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“Please note that all efforts were made to make all the reinstated soldiers comfortable and integrate them back into the system. The protesting soldiers are the few who are recalcitrant to military duties and discipline. They are simply not interested in army job but want to earn salary. No one should listen to them as they are not patriotic at all,” the Army spokesperson stated.

“This was based on the understanding of their circumstances and conditions. Efforts have been made to retrain them, integrate and give them sense of belonging.

“However the attitude of some of them has left so much to be desired and would not be tolerated anymore hence their dismissal from Service.

“The Nigerian Army thrives on discipline, loyalty and good conduct and if anyone could not measure up to expectation or live by those tenets, he would not be allowed to remain in the system,” he added.

This new discoveries may have stemmed from the Army’s recent decision to investigate Boko Haram’s recent attacks where many civilians have been killed by the insurgents.

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