Nigerian Army personnel attached to the 159 Battalion, Geidam (Sector 2), Yobe State, covering Dapchi, Bamari, and Kanama through the Niger border has written a complaint to the Presidency. They expressed anger over the poor state of the Army’s welfare and threaten to quit their duty posts as they have been neglected and abandoned to be slaughtered by the insurgents.
The letter which was directed to the National Assembly, United Nations, African Union, and several other organizations, protest the soldiers’ sadness over their long stay in the volatile North-East region, revealing that many of them had been pushed into a state of depression as a result of the situation.
Sources for Obinwannem news understands that most of the soldiers had earlier participated in operations in Liberia, it was disclosed that they are being exploited by the corrupt superiors for personal and material gains.
The letter also states their families back home are subjected to suffering due to the lack of support from the Nigerian authorities. While they devote their lives in service to the nation; fighting against the dangerous terror group, Boko Haram and other insurgents in the North-Eastern region, little is done to carter for the families they leave behind.
The letter reads, “We wish to bring to your notice that we have overstayed here in the North-East.
“We were inducted in this operation on July 10, 2016, to fight Boko Haram insurgency after spending a year in Liberia.
Presently, we are covering the following locations of Dapchi, Bamari, and Kanama to Niger border.
“This is our fourth year in the battlefront fighting and we have not been changed from this operation. The other battalions we came with and even those that came after us have all been withdrawn. We are the oldest infantry battalion in the North-East yet they don’t want to change us.
“We have complained to the Chief of Army Staff and he promised to rotate us. He even told our families the same thing but till now nothing has been done or said about it.
“We are from 1 Battalion of the Nigerian Army in Birnin Kebbi, Kebbi State.
“If the North-East was like United Nations operation, a place where there is money, we would have been changed after six months or at most one year and it would have been based on godfatherism, but we have been forgotten because we don’t know any god-father.
“Since we have been here, this is the second President, the second Senate, the 2nd CDS, the 2nd COAS, the 5th Theatre commander, the 5th 7 Division GOC, the 6th Brigade Commander, the 4th Commanding Officer, and the 5th Acting CO that we have worked under and none of them have had the feeling of changing our battalion from this North-East.
“After bringing peace, victory, and honor to Nigeria, all we get back is suffering and rejection.
“Since we came to this operation; there have been no changes, no special promotion, no issuing of uniforms, boots and combat kits. Instead, we end up buying it with our money.
“There have been no good feeding, in fact, we are fed like slaves.
“Soldiers of 159 Battalion are now suffering from depression, stress, lack of feeding, poor admin, family problems, psychological trauma.
“We are begging the President, the CDS and COAS to look into our case because our homes have ‘scattered’ and some of our children don’t know us anymore.
“It is only four times that we have had a pass in four years. Our children now see us as strangers, some of our parents died of high blood pressure.
“We have lost a lot. We want the army authorities to change us before it gets too late.
“Any Brigade Commander and Commanding Officer posted here only use us to make money for themselves and go.
“We are tired of this place, we want to go back to our unit and meet our families.
“To the governor and lawmakers from Yobe State, this is a warning to you all. Soon, your people will start running away from their homes because we are no longer happy. We are ready to leave the local government areas we are covering should attack come.”
This further highlights the corruption deeply rooted in the Nigerian military for many years now, it is not the first time that army personnel deployed to the North-East to combat Boko Haram terrorists would be complaining of neglect and lack of equipment to carry out their duties, unfortunately, such embarrassing news has become quite regular the Nigerian military over the years.
In the face of these glaring hurdles and failure of the authorities to act, soldiers have continued to pay the supreme price in a war government continues to plough more resources into but have only little to show for it in terms of success.
Nwada Ugochinyere Onyechere reporting, Obinwannem News
