Sources, who witnessed the incident but asked not to be named for their own safety, told PREMIUM TIMES the incident occurred on Monday, September 4 at the 333 Battalion parade ground while the soldiers were on night roll call, known as tatoon in military parlance.
The sources said the soldiers became angry and attacked the officer after he announced the deployment of the soldiers to various special operations in Borno state shortly after their return from a peacekeeping operation in Mali.
“Trouble started when Colonel Obono decided to deploy the Soldiers, and the boys were annoyed because they were supposed to go on ‘disembarkation leave’ for two weeks having just returned from Mali, and they began to show open contempt, the Colonel then slapped one of them and they now became agitated and beat him up,” one of our sources, a defence insider, said.
He said the officer became especially agitated and slapped a soldier “because he had the audacity to ask for the troop’s “mission allowance”.
He said the troops started returning to the country from Mali on July 31, but were not allowed to proceed on leave before being deployed for the anti-Boko Haram operation in Maiduguri.
We also gathered that apart from the soldier, Colonel Obono also slapped a Major Idris for trying to restrain him from physically attacking his junior colleagues.
Another military source said the Military Police, the discipline enforcement unit of the army, already commenced investigation into the incident, adding that what the Colonel did was ‘against military tradition’.
PREMIUM TIMES learnt that Colonel Obono, with Army number N/8306 was appointed acting commander of the newly established 37 Brigade Maiduguri on August, 20 via memo with Reference No. AHQ/MS/G1/300/207/1.
The spokesperson for the Army, Major General Ibrahim Attahiru, wouldn’t comment for this story. He did not answer or return calls to his mobile telephone for two weeks running. He also did not respond to three text messages sent to him on separate days.
PREMIUM TIMES
Wow what a mutiny! Unbelievable
ReplyDeleteFar from that guy! Though the boys attitude is totally unacceptable, the BC's gesture too is highly unethical.
ReplyDeleteWho will blame the soldiers, after the killing of some soldiers by the BH sects some weeks back. But the colonel is wicked, he should go and fight BH himself. Well I think he just want most of the soldiers to die so he can pocket their "mission allowance".
ReplyDeleteNa wa! All this injustice in Nigeria has to stop. Imagine, soldiers who just returned from a peace keeping mission, who were suppose to b resting with their families. Serves the colonel right.
ReplyDeleteA very dangerous trend has infiltrated the military fabric in Nigeria over the years. Greed and quest for money has overwhelmed interests in military job. We have seen recently that military men deployed for internal security duties maintain fat bank accounts and live far above their means. Similarly, not too long ago, soldiers were court-marshaled for similar insubordination for reasons relating to money but the ruling was overturned. Proponents of the overturn would argue that the machinery of discipline was directed mainly on the junior officers. This suggest that either a thorough investigation was not done or that not all facts were considered in the administration of justice. Also, we have allowed much compromises in the military today to the detriment of discipline which is the hallmark of any military institution. Some of these problems are compounded by interference from politicians.
ReplyDeleteMy suggested solution is that both leaders and the led must perfume their responsibilities according to established military codes of conduct because the organization recently witnessed an influx of intelligent and educated people who must not be handled with the crude methods of old. It is in the light of this that a strong call is made to politicians to restrain themselves in the internal administration of the military while GEJ should direct the CDS to deal with this issue decisively and fairly too. This is necessary to prevent the collapse of the military institution which consumes the political class first. What happened in 333 Artillery Brigade is most regrettable but could just be a mild symptom of the decay in the military.
Corruption and Cheating is the problem of the NA and Nigeria in general.Look at this thieves call PENCOM and IBTC they deducted soldiers money from the source and to refund back it took them more than one year to refund now you hear that they have pay one person next week you hear of another and we say that naija have a president and C in C, we have President but no Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces; that's why see all this happening now come 2015 we should come together and elect C IN C.
ReplyDelete