- Sources report that some soldiers are accused of stealing bullets or losing guns to terrorists
At least 142 Nigerian soldiers have been detained for over 10 months without trial in Maiduguri, Borno State, according to SaharaReporters.
Some of these soldiers have been on the front lines for over six years without leave and have not seen their families in three years.
Sources report that some soldiers are accused of stealing bullets or losing guns to terrorists. About 20 of the detainees, with minor charges, were recommended for release by military lawyers.
Many soldiers, deployed since 2017-2018, have not been rotated or transferred, leading to fatigue and depression. Their welfare and feeding arrangements depend on garrison or brigade commanders.
One of the soldiers said, “Occasionally, soldiers at the fronts are given ‘pass’ to visit their families but some of us have not seen our wives and children in the last two and a half years.”
Some of the soldiers said their wives had abandoned them for other men, including their colleagues in the barracks.
One of the sources said, “Some garrison or brigade commanders are not interested in troops’ welfare. However, some are more interested in promotions while some only feed soldiers well and not care about promotion or other welfare issues.
“Some commanders are very bad; both garrison and brigade commanders. They are not interested in paying their troops any benefits or promoting them. We have experienced all these.”
According to the sources, the troops in Bama, Borno State need more hands to fight insurgents.
“Sometimes, they attack our units of five or 11 soldiers, using RPG (rocket-propelled grenade) and AGL (automatic grenade launcher) while we use LMGs (light machine guns). If you abandon any weapon while escaping, you will be detained for a very long time, tried or court martialled,” one of them said.
Meanwhile, a close relation of one of the soldiers who on condition of anonymity also complained about the situation.
“Our brothers and husbands have been serving in the North East since early 2017 or 2018, without being changed or even allowed to visit their families at all.
“As we speak, we have not seen them for over two years and a half or three years. We learnt that some are feeling depressed.
“As their relations, we feel bad that these soldiers are unable to see their wives or children in the last three or four years. We feel emotionally disturbed. Some of them have lost their wives to other men or even fellow soldiers,” Ogochi, wife of one of the detained personnel lamented.