- There has been a rise in incidents of soldiers who took their own lives as well as their colleagues, most of which are attributed to PTSD
The Defence Headquarters has established Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Centres for troops deployed in different theatres of operations.
These centres aim to monitor and address the mental health of soldiers actively involved in the ongoing efforts against insecurity.
They will work in conjunction with existing military services’ initiatives to tackle PTSD cases. Maj. Gen. Buba Edward, Director of Defence Media Operations, confirmed the Sokoto incident in a Friday interview, emphasizing that measures are in place to address PTSD among troops.
He said, “Indeed, the incident occurred. The military has set up Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Centres to address the issue of mental health occasioned by the exposure of troops to the war against insurgency.”
There has been a rise in incidents of soldiers who took their own lives as well as their colleagues, most of which are attributed to PTSD.
PTSD is a psychiatric disorder that may occur in people who have experienced or witnessed a traumatic event, series of events, or set of circumstances.
On Tuesday, a soldier identified as CPL James Kingsley, attached to team 3 of Operations Hadrin Daji in Sokoto killed his colleague and went on a shooting spree against several others.
Kingsley was, however, gunned down by one of his colleagues while shooting sporadically at them.
PTSD is a psychiatric disorder that may occur in people who have experienced or witnessed a traumatic event, series of events, or set of circumstances.
On January 15, 2024, personnel of the Nigerian Army identified as Boyi ThankGod killed himself.
ThankGod who is of the standby force and attached to the Headquarters of 35 Artillery Brigade in Abeokuta was said to have shot himself at a duty shade.
In March 2023, a soldier of the Nigerian army shot himself dead after killing three of his colleagues in the Rabah area of Sokoto.
Also, in November 2022, a Nigerian Army soldier shot and wounded a United Nations helicopter co-pilot, and killed a humanitarian worker and a fellow soldier at a military base in Borno.