The Nigerian Army has dismissed as false, reports that soldiers fighting insurgency are deserting their posts in the North East.
Those reportedly guilty of this offence are mostly young soldiers, who allegedly complained of battle weariness after staying so long on the battle field without seeing their families and loved ones.
According to the report, the soldiers, some of whom have stayed over three years in the region, are deserting the army at the slightest opportunity.
These opportunities include getting “pass” – an official document of permit given to military personnel to travel out of their areas of operation.
It was learnt that some of them didn’t return to their base.
But the Acting Director of Army/Public Relations, Colonel Sani Usman, denied that soldiers are deserting the warfront.
He said the army has worked out a rotation plan of soldiers who have overstayed in the North East and insisted the plan has commenced in earnest.
“We have started with the unit in Badagry, 112 Special Forces and some other ones.
“It is a gradual process but, I want you to understand is that you don’t pull people out of their locations just like that without taking into consideration other things.
“Right now, there is a unit of the army at Jaji who are undergoing post-deployment training because of the traumatic stress they went through.
“So, you have to prepare a unit to go into battle, it’s not an easy thing. There is an established procedure of going in and pulling out.
“Those that are going in go to our Special Forces Training School at Buni-Yadi.
“Then, they will gradually change the unit and the unit will be repatriated to Jaji and go through induction training before they are reunited with their families”.
“So, it is not correct that soldiers are deserting the warfront because they have over-stayed there.
“I would have that you oblige me with the particulars of those soldiers who ran away because they have not been rotated”, Col. Usman said.
