Soldiers of the 21 Brigade of the Nigerian Army deployed to rout out Boko Haram from the dreaded Sambisa Forest in Borno State early Friday, December 16, 2016, according to reports, went on rampage and turned against their officers and firing gunshots in all directions.
Eyewitness report has it that the troops complained of mistreatment and then began to shoot indiscriminately, threatening to kill any officer who stands on their way.
“The brigade is based in Bama but is currently deployed at Bula Bello in Sambisa for Operation Rescue Final,” a military insider said. “But suddenly soldiers started mutinying at 6am today, firing in all directions and threatening to pull out of the operation.
“As some of them fire gunshots, some started preparing vehicles to move out of location. They also warned officers to steer clear or they would be shot dead. “They are saying their commanders have been treating them badly and telling them lies. As I speak to you, the firing is still going on, and there is confusion everywhere.”
The commander of the Brigade, Col AG Laka, could not immediately be reached to comment for this story. The Nigerian Army is yet to issue a statement on the incident.
There have been repeated Cases of mutiny by Nigerian soldiers since the war against Boko Haram began. The worst case occurred in May 2014 when troops of 7 Division, angered by the death of 12 of their colleagues in a Boko Haram ambush, opened fire on the vehicle of their General Officer Commanding (GOC), Major General Ahmadu Mohammed. The trent reports.
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