The Nigerian Army has dismissed six soldiers from its ranks for allegedly abandoning their positions during a Boko Haram attack, according to military sources who spoke to the press in Maiduguri on Saturday.
The soldiers were part of Operation Lafiya Dole, the counterinsurgency operation in the North-East, and reportedly fled from the scene of an attack by Boko Haram insurgents near Damboa, a community in Borno State, earlier this month.
Sources indicate that over ten soldiers lost their lives during the attack. However, the Nigerian Army has yet to officially confirm the attack or acknowledge any casualties among its troops.
According to the sources, the dismissed soldiers include:- 19NA/78/0690 Private Olaniyi Emmanuel – 20NA/79/3745 Private Masa’udu Adamu – 22NA/82/5192 Private Abdul Azee Saleh – 22NA/82/1721 Private Mohammed Mohammed – 22NA/82/1191 Private Adah Toye – 22NA/82/1909 Private Hassan Abubakar
One of the sources condemned the decision to dismiss the soldiers, arguing that they only left the battlefield after exhausting their ammunition.
He claimed that the soldiers were not adequately supplied with arms and ammunition to effectively combat the Boko Haram terrorists, leading to their eventual withdrawal when their supplies ran out.
The source further blamed the deaths of the soldiers on the inadequate firepower and insufficient equipment provided to them.
He detailed how Boko Haram insurgents successfully infiltrated their location, resulting in both killed in action (KIA) and wounded in action (WIA).
The dismissed soldiers were accused of fleeing the battle instead of retaliating against the attackers.
Nigerian soldiers on the front lines frequently complain about being under-equipped to face Boko Haram insurgents.
The source emphasized that the insufficient supply of arms and ammunition significantly hindered their ability to defend their position and counter the attack effectively.
