Army arrests one captain and 70 soldiers who mutinied in Maiduguri over redeployment to face Boko Haram

MILITARY leaders have arrested a Nigerian Army captain and about 70 men under his command and look set to charge them with the offence of mutiny following their recent seizure of the Maiduguri airport to protest being redeployed to a dangerous combat zone.

Last month, soldiers of the Seventh Mechanised Brigade of the Nigerian Army attached to Operation Lafiya Dole, took control of the  airport for two hours. Apparently, the aggrieved soldiers claimed they had overstayed their tour of duty and were resisting being redeployed to Marte, one of the towns liberated by the military several years ago from Boko Haram.

Embarrassed by the mutiny, the military high command has arrested and detained the soldiers, claiming their action is against the military rules of engagement. Senior officers are not happy that the soldiers refused to be redeployed to Gamboru Ngala, a border town in Borno State with Niger Republic, which is known as the stronghold of Boko Haram insurgents.

Chief of army staff Lt General Tukur Buratai, is said to have personally ordered the arrest of the soldiers, insisting that they be subjected to severe military disciplinary action. They have since been moved into two unknown locations in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, with a view to subjecting them to a court martial.

Last month, the troops rejected their posting to Gamboru Ngala because of war fatigue as most of them had been fighting Boko Haram insurgents for years without rotation. They particularly loathed the idea of being sent to the warfront, given the fact that many of their colleagues who were earlier sent there were either killed or badly injured and their equipment taken away by the rampaging insurgents.

One of the affected troops  said: “We became afraid when we discovered that no fewer than 30 soldiers who were sent there were killed within three days due to the heavy rainfall, which has further worsened the terrain mastered by the insurgents. We do not know why the Nigerian Army suddenly changed its mind and decided to deploy troops to the dreaded area after it had announced that it had pulled out of Gamboru, where Boko Haram appears be operating from after being pushed away from the Sambisa Forest.”

However, Lt General Buratai said: “The incident at the Maiduguri airport that happened just about two weeks ago is an issue, which ordinarily is unimaginable that disciplined troops, soldiers will behave in that way. However, we have our procedures and this issue has been thoroughly investigated and those that have been found to be involved will face military justice as this sort of affair will never be tolerated no matter the person or persons involved.”

Meanwhile, Amnesty International has commended the federal government over the trial of suspected Boko Haram terrorists, describing the ongoing trial as good progress for the justice sector. This was contained in a letter addressed to the justice minister and attorney-general of the federation Abubakar Malami, by Osai Ojigho, Amnesty International's Nigerian country director.