Army ‘fires’ 200 soldiers for B’Haram cowardice

The Nigerian army has sacked 200 soldiers from the force, following claims that the soldiers fled from the battlefront while Boko Haram advanced.

According to BBC Hausa service, the soldiers were sacked this week after allegations that they fled Mubi in November 2014, while Boko Haram took the town.

A military source had told TheCable that as many as 4,000 soldiers were to be dismissed from the force, with the military hoping to “rid the force of cowardice in all its rank and file”.

They recently-dismissed soldiers insist they are being unfairly targeted, saying they were dismissed without appearing before a court martial.

They add that their failure to fight is because they lacked the weapons to match Boko Haram’s firepower.

Earlier, one of the soldiers to be dismissed had told TheCable that they were to be dismissed without trial.

“We are accused of disobeying orders to fight insurgents and also for allowing them to takeover Mubi town the last time. The army headquarters sent signal for our dismissal,” he had said.

Many of the soldiers – dismissed and sentenced to death – are hoping that the incoming administration of Muhammadu Buhari, a retired general, would reverse all the recent deeds of the military, according to their lawyer, Femi Falana.

“So happily the incoming government of Gen Muhammadu Buhari has promised to review the entire operations in the north-east region and we are confident that the cases of the officers and the soldiers will be reviewed so that justice will be done to them,” he said last week.