Following a series of attacks on military formations in Borno and Yobe states in recent times, Nigerian Army personnel have been lobbying intensely to avoid being posted to the north east geopolitical zone of the country.
The Punch disclosed this in a report published on Sunday.
Nigeria has been battling the Boko Haram insurgency which is active in the North East, especially Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states, since 2009.
However, there have been heightened attacks on military formations, with Metele, Kangarwa, Malumfatori and Arge areas of Borno State as well as the Buni Gari area of Yobe State being hit in November.
This is believed to have escalated lobbying within the army as personnel try to avoid being posted to the region, while many soldiers that are currently there are asking to be redeployed away from the area.
According to the report, military authorities were against the publishing of negative stories about the war on terror as such stories weaken the morale of the troops and create fear within their ranks.
A Brigadier General said, “In the military doctrine, we have what is called cowardice. Soldiers can exhibit cowardice when they hear negative reports. Let me tell you why we have been experiencing attacks in those Lake Chad areas. Those army deployments were intentionally made around Lake Chad to block the Boko Haram’s channels of supply. The Boko Haram understands why the military are blocking their channels and they therefore ensure they keep attacking those bases to open up their own channels of supply.
“There is a way some people have been glorifying the attacks and this makes the soldiers who are there to be afraid. These are very young military officers with families and they can be afraid. Most times when I as a general say I am on my way to the North-East, I get messages from friends and families to be careful. But I am going under escort. Now, imagine soldiers who are just deployed to actually go and fight. This is why some reports are not helpful because they are escalating these attacks, glorifying the terrorists and putting fear in our soldiers. Some of these soldiers read all these online reports and they are afraid. They are now avoiding going to the North-East like a disease.
“I just came back home and learnt that one of my cousins whom I brought into the army was redeployed. He was supposed to go to the North-East. He ran away. He is in the village in the South-South riding motorcycle, because he does not want to die.
“Now, if we have such incidences all over, what will become of our security architecture? Our worries are that while the terrorists are doing theirs, so many media reports reaching soldiers in the North-East are disturbing and pulling down their morale.”
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