Governor Shettima Did Not Lie About A Poorly Equipped Nigerian Army - Mutiny In the Army

The green boys from the newly formed 7th Division of the Nigerian Army mutinied in their barracks against Major General Abubakar Mohammed, their GOC. According to two soldiers who reported the situation to journalist stated, Soldiers shot sporadically into the air at Maimalari Barracks, which is also home to the Artillery Corps, the Ordinance, as well as army signals in Maiduguri.

The 7th Division was formed only recently as a unit devoted to fighting the war against Boko Haram and General Mohammed was appointed as the GOC in February 2014.

The situation was so tense that the GOC had to run for his life. Am I surprised? No. the ill treatment of soldiers did not start today. If we recall the Abacha and ECOMOG days as testified during the Oputa panel, soldiers were given plastic helmets described as bullet proof. Even Sergeant Rogers Jabila testified on how junior officers were tricked into going into the bushes for days to hunt for enemies of Nigeria that they later discovered were dining and winning with superior officers.

Sahara Reporters and BBC disclosed the soldiers became enraged when they saw the bodies of their colleagues ambushed by Boko Haram terrorists in Chibok. The restive soldiers complained that their superior have not provided them with adequate weaponry with which to fight the war against the better-armed Boko Haram militants.



“We the soldiers don’t have the kind of arms and ammunition that [Boko Haram] fighters have. So everyday, they kill our men anyhow, but it is never published in the media,” said one source. The other source also complained that the commanding officers “are too busy ‘eating’ money. And they do not pay our allowances on time. And once [a soldier dies], nobody knows what happens to his allowances again.”

The soldiers have no troop rotation system to ensure that those in combat can get some rest before being redeployed to continue the bloody and frustrating war with Boko Haram insurgents.

Locals who live near the barracks said they heard sporadic exchange of gunfire. “We thought that may be Boko Haram was attacking and the army was trying to push them back,” one resident said.

Governor Shettima was right all along, He should speak and let the heads concerned roll because if the problem gets to complicated, his head will also roll.