Defence Headquarters Institutes Inquiry Into Soldiers Unruly Behaviour In Borno
The Defence Headquarters said on Thursday that it had institute a military inquiry into Tuesday's unruly behavior by soldiers who fired shots into the air during a sympathy visit by the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 7 Division, Maj.- Gen. Ahmadu Mohammed to those affected by last week ambush on troops in Borno.
Maj.-Gen. Chris Olukolade, Director of Defence Information disclosed this at a news briefing at the Maimalari Barracks in Maiduguri.
"On May 13, our troops who had been on an assignment in Chibok and had been patrolling were returning to Maiduguri when they were ambushed in Dalwa few kilometres to the city.
One officer, five soldiers were killed, while a number of others wounded,'' Olukolade said.
He added: "The division embarked on the normal recovery processes to recover wounded soldiers for treatment and to evacuate the bodies of those killed to the morgue.
The General Officer Commanding (GOC) was touched by the incident, so he wanted to sympathise with the troop by addressing those present.''
Olukoade said :``In the process some soldiers became unruly and began to fire some shots into the air.
The situation was quickly brought under control and normalcy restored as there was calm in the cantonment and all normal operational activities are ongoing.''
He added:`The inquiry will come out with exact situation of things based on which the military authorities will take next action.''
Olukolade also confirmed the redeployment of the GOC by the Defence Headquarters.
The GOC has been redeployed based on the decision of the headquarters,'' he said.
He denied media reports that the GOC was wounded during the incident.
The GOC or his aids were not wounded during the incident.
"Let me say again that nobody was injured during the incident,'' Olukolade said.
He assured that the redeployment of the GOC will not affect the ongoing anti terrorism war of the Nigerian military.
Let me assure that the military will sustain the current tempo in the fight against insurgents.
The training of the Nigeria Army is such that this kind of change will not affect negatively the disposition of the troops in the fight against agents of insurgency in the country,'' Olukolade said.
He described the situation as sad saying
The Nigerian Army is poised to uphold its principle of discipline and loyalty to service.
"The ongoing inquiry will provide a lasting solution to what happened on May 13.''
"It is not in the character of Nigerian soldier to be unruly.''