Military sources disclosed in Abuja, that there was so much disenchantment among the fighting troops following the turn out of events at the front line, The Independent reports.
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A thorough look at those resigning, showed that they are the Non Commissioned Officers (NCOs) and the other ranks in the army, who mostly constitute the fighting troops.
Top military sources said these crops of troops are presently very disenchanted by their experiences at the front line, which over the years have left little to be desired.
Already, those that resigned cut across different formations and Units, serving as a very bad signal to others and a pointer that all was not well in the Nigerian Army.
Just last week, it was reported that the soldiers wrote to the Chief of Army Staff, (COAS), Lt-Gen. Tukur Buratai, on July 3, 2020, under Reference NA/COAS/001, quoting the Harmonised Terms and Conditions of Service soldiers/rating/airmen (Revised) 2017.
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Their request for voluntary disengagement as approved was contained in a 17-page circular from Buratai, AHQ DOAA/G1/300/92, signed by Brig Gen T.E. Gagariga for the COAS.
Headquarters, Theatre Command, Operation Lafiya Dole, Borno State, the Headquarters of 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 81, and 82 Divisions of the Nigerian Army and other formations, were said to have received the document.
A military source said that;
“Most of them want to leave, but they are denying them the opportunity, using excuses to delay them and pulling them out of dead zones.
“Many soldiers will like to die for their fatherland if the right things are done.”
A foremost security analyst and Public Relations Practitioner, well familiar among the security services, who pled anonymity, told reporters that the army had ignored every entreaty to do it right with troops at the frontline, banking on propaganda and lies.
“It’s bad. You can sensor narratives, but you can’t lie. When you start lying, you lose your credibility. I have been telling them.
“The problem with the military is that the soldiers realised that they have been sacrificing for nothing, the military does not care, the system has failed,” he said.
The analyst cited lack of trustworthy leadership as the major challenge in the ongoing war, saying that most of the troops no longer have confidence or respect for their commanders, causing them to lose hope.
Adding that the troops were not happy with the over staying of some commanders in the theatre, especially those that were inflicting pains on them, as well as the continuous stay in office of the COAS, General Buratai.
It said that most of those troops were not happy that they have overstayed in a dead zone, signaling that they were dumped there to face their fate, while some of their colleagues were granted respite.
According to the source, the troops, in view of their overstay at the front line, suffered health trauma, and lose mental alertness, as they continue to see the corpses of their colleagues rolled in from time to time.
It further stated that lack of motivation has brought upon them a low morale, since they are fighting a war that they don’t understand, with many of them complaining that the very locals they were there to protect, were the same associates of Boko Haram and ISWAP, serving as informants to the terrorists against them.
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Consequently, since there were no respites for them by the Army Headquarters, the only way left to them now was to apply for voluntary disengagement, at least as covered under extant rules, rather than running away and being tagged deserters.
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