Godsgift Onyedinefu
The Nigerian Army has debunked allegations that some of its senior officers are sabotaging the war against insurgency by leaking information to Boko Haram terrorists and bandits in the northeast and other parts of Nigeria.
A senior military officer who disclosed this to journalists on the condition of anonymity recently said the action has resulted in the death of scores of soldiers and other security personnel in the country.
He said, “After mapping out how to raid the terrorists’ hideout, they were nowhere to be found when we got there, only for them to ambush and kill our soldiers on their way back from the mission”.
While discussing about some of the attacks on the military base, the officer alleged that terrorists launch attacks mainly when troops run out of supplies.
“The attack on us in Marte on January 5, we all know how it happened. The informants among us tell them when we are low on supplies, they tell them how many soldiers we have in the field and how to attack. This is the problem we face.
“The gun and bullet they gave us to shoot, no be decoration but sometimes you revieve order not to shoot,” he said, adding that “this war is getting tough and difficult because the officers working with the terrorists are many. Their sponsors in government are not giving up. With that, I don’t think this war will end soon.”
But, Brigiader-General Onyema Nwachukwu, Director, Army Public Relations told Global Sentinel that it was impossible for an officer or any soldier to leak information to terrorists and bandits due to the structure of the Army.
Why dismissing the report as false and impossible, Nwachukwu added that no military officer will give out information that could lead to his death or that of his colleagues.
Nigeria’s war on terror has come under criticism since 2015 when Muhammadu Buhari became the country’s president. Many citizens accuse the government of compromise and sabotage in the fight against terrorism, mainly against jihadists known as bandits or Fulani herdsmen who have spread to the south of the country.
In 2018, a former defense minister, General Theophirus Danjuma, called on Nigerians to rise up and defend themselves against ‘ethnic cleansing’, saying “…these killers have been protected by the military, they cover them and you must be watchful to guide and protect yourselves because you have no any other place to go”.