Soldier Lied About Colleagues Abandoning Him — Nigerian Army

The Nigerian Army says there is no authenticity to the viral video where a soldier claimed he was abandoned by his comrades.

In a statement issued by the Director, Army Public Relations, Brigadier General Onyema Nwachukwu, on Thursday in Abuja, said the video is a gross misrepresentation of what actually happened, explaining that after preliminary investigations, the soldier in the video abandoned his colleagues during a clearance operation in Gurara, Niger State, contrary to the impression created in the video footage.

“Disappointingly, during an encounter, the said soldier abandoned his colleagues and absconded in an outright display of cowardice and possible sabotage, which negate the precepts of the military profession.

“Sensing the gravity of his action and its consequences, the soldier surreptitiously uploaded the video online in a calculated attempt to whip-up public sentiment and cover up his act of cowardice.

“The soldier’s action amounts to a betrayal of the esprit de corps and camaraderie that is synonymous with a military unit and fighting formation, particularly during operations.

“The soldier’s conduct is therefore an aberration and against the ethics and core values of the military profession.

He said the video footage is thus, in all intent and purpose, a misrepresentation of what actually transpired between the soldier and his colleagues, adding that the soldier had since rejoined his unit, adding that further investigations were currently ongoing to unravel the reasons behind the unprofessional conduct.

A video of a soldier had surfaced on social media on Wednesday, praying to God to help him while claiming that his colleagues fled and abandoned him during an operation.