Buratai orders the arrest of lance corporal who criticised Nigerian military high command

NIGERIAN military authorities have arrested one its soldiers Lance Corporal Martins who recently went viral in a Youtube video criticising the chief of army staff Lt General Tukur Buratai and other security chiefs for failing to safeguard the lives of troops.

In a 12 minute video, Lance Corporal Martins lashed out at the Nigerian military high command, the defence minister and the national security adviser for failing to back soldiers fighting Boko Haram terrorists and armed Fulani cattle herdsmen. Since 2009, Nigeria has been at war with Boko Haram and soldiers of the Nigerian Army have borne the brunt of the conflict.

Over the years, troops have complained about not being well equipped, or being under-funded and being owed allowance arrears. While this has been going on, several generals have been found guilty of siphoning money earmarked to fight terrorism into private banks accounts.

After lashing out over this, Lance Corporal Martins was arrested on the orders of Lt General  Buratai.  According to one military source, the soldier was picked by senior officers, who said they were acting based on an order from above.

Lance Corporal Martins berated the security chiefs for deliberately not acting to stop the incessant killings of Nigerians by terrorists and armed bandits. In his video, he revealed how the military ordered the illegal detention of some soldiers who demanded better weapons and ammunition to combat Boko Haram and other terrorist groups in the country.

He stated that although he might be arrested and probably killed for the video, he is ready to sacrifice himself for the country. It is now most likely that Lance Corporal Martins will face a court marshal for producing the video.