Soldiers Protest Unpaid Allowances, Poor Ammunition In Borno

Soldiers of an unidentified battalion in Operation Lafiya Dole have protested their posting to a location in the Theatre of Operation in Borno State.

According to sources at the Maimalari barracks, the headquarters of the Theatre Command in Borno State, the aggrieved soldiers started shooting into the air sporadically on Thursday night following their deployment.

Channels Television reported that the soldiers cited non-payment of allowances and poor equipment as reasons for the rebellion.

Some of the soldiers who spoke anonymously recalled that a whole unit that went for reinforcement when Marte was captured last month, perished under superior firepower of the enemy forces.

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The Media Coordinator for Operation Lafiya Dole, Colonel Ado Isa, confirmed the incident on Friday through a text message.

Isa blamed the protest on the minor admin/welfare of the soldiers, stressing that the issues were promptly addressed.

The protest came days after the mystery that surrounded the arms procurement exposed by the National Security Adviser, Babagana Monguno, where both the outgoing and incoming service chiefs said they are in the dark concerning the whereabouts of the funds or equipment.

According to Monguno, a retired Major General, not less than N1 billion was released for the procurement accordingly.