Army Chief vows military justice against rioting soldiers, fifth columnists

Troops involved in recent Maiduguri airport shooting as well as those volunteering information to insurgents and undermining military efforts against terrorists in the North East would be appropriately dealt with, Army authorities vowed on Thursday.

At an interactive session with Editors in Abuja, the Nigerian Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai said the Maiduguri airport incident was being investigated and that such acts which he said were unimaginable of trained troops are considered as mere sabotage to not just the military but the entire country.

“The incident at the Maiduguiri that happened just about two weeks ago is an issue which ordinarily is unimaginable that disciplined troops, sliders will behave in that way,´ Buratai said

Last two weeks, a few troops in agitation against their redeployment from the Theatre of Operation had reacted by firing into the air at the Maiduguri airport, fueling anxiety among residents
Explaining the actions being taken by the military on the matter, the Army Chief said he personally directed the redeployment to strengthen the security architecture of the city and that the rotation became necessary after a recent assessment of the security situation by the Theatre Command.

“So it’s is part of the overall plans to secure the North East and they were directed to execute that plan and if for whatever reason, they resisted it, then it’s unfortunate and we are going to deal with them accordingly.

“They were not the only ones that were directed to move from location to the other, there are several locations that troops have been moved, from Maiduguri, from Bama, Damaturu and so on. Why should their own be different,” he queried.

“So we won’t tolerate indiscipline and be rest assured we are working very hard to see to the welfare of every soldier in the theatre and even outside,” he further assured, assuring that “the military welfare and moral programmes have been quite comprehensive and we will continue to do that.
At the briefing, the COAS made a strong case for “community stabilization”, saying the concept will ensure that Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), who had returned to their homes, will henceforth resist attempts by terrorist elements, to undermine the Army’s restoration efforts.

“Community stabilization is a measure of the sustained ability of a community to utilize available resources to respond to, withstand and recover from adverse situations.”

The Army Chief equally admitted that fifth columnists exist in the military.

He, however, said the authorities had continued to identify and deal with such persons, with a view to sustaining its time-honored tradition of discipline, professionalism and excellence.

“Nigerian Army has bad eggs, but the beauty of it is that we are not resting on our oars”, to ensure that they are identified and brought to deserved justice.

“We have been working very hard to ensure that those who are bent on sabotaging our operations and other administrative efforts are fished out.
“We have identified some of them, some of them have been court-marshaled and appropriate sanctions meted on them in line with
the military justice system” he stated.

Speaking on the purpose of the session, the three-star General said it was aimed at highlighting the progress recorded in the ongoing counterterrorism and counter-insurgency operation in the North East.

He used the occasion to highlight the non-kinetic method of combating the Boki Haram insurgency that has lasted about nine years.

According to him: “One of such efforts is promoting community stabilization as a means of combating the negative ideology of the Boko Haram Terrorists.”

He maintained that the ongoing Operation Lafiya Dole, had resulted in the near defeat of the insurgents, who now operate from the fringes of Borno State, the epicenter of Boko Haram activities.

“These operations conducted by the Nigerian Army have yielded the desired results, particularly in the North East where Boko Haram Terrorists have been substantially degraded, thereby rendering their ability to conduct coordinated attacks impossible.

“This has further created the enabling environment for the conduct of Operation Last Hold, which is aimed at a dignified return of refugees and internally displaced persons back to their ancestral homes.

Onyinye Nwachukwu & Stella Enenche, Abuja