Probe soldiers revolt in North-East

By Ikechukwu Okaforadi

Colonel Abubakar Umar (rtd) has explained that ‘dubious recruitment method, poor training and equipment, lack of motivation are the major reasons why soldiers revolt against their superiors while in operation in the north east.

Reacting to the recent revolt of some soldiers while in operation in the north east region, Umar lamented that the Nigerian military has been ‘civilianised’, citing instance where soldiers are being deployed on purely police duties like checkpoints, guards to politicians, business establishments, worship centres, among others.

Umar, who argued that such soldiers cannot be expected to be courageous enough to fight in war, regretted that those at checkpoints have been seen soliciting and receiving bribe from commuters.

“We should also note that more than 20 per cent of our soldiers or our military personnel are currently being deployed as aides and guards to people who are not entitled to such services. These are the factors that must be addressed if we are to forestall the tide of imminent service-wide revolt by our personnel”, he asserted.

Meanwhile, Umar expressed worry over the revolts by soldiers who are on operation in the North-East, which he said has become ‘the theatre of war’, saying there is need to stem the tide, by addressing the causal factors of the unprofessional conduct.