Soldiers who revolt against military authorities or desert the army are a disgrace to the military and the nation, director of defence information, Major-General Chris Olukolade, said on Saturday .
Olukolade, who was speaking on radio station Nigeria News Info about the efforts of the military in combating terrorism, said mutineers and deserters would be arrested and prosecuted, just like those who revolted in Maiduguri, Borno State, months ago, whose ongoing trial “has gone beyond investigation”.
“There are deserters; there are deserters definitely, and the deserters are being arrested,” he said.
“And in any case, deserters are supposed to be reported to security agencies and arrested; it is a crime to be a deserter; if you are a deserter that is the worst form of military service.
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“And I think it is time the public knew some things that should not be glorified about the soldier. If a soldier is a mutineer, if a soldier is a deserter, when a soldier demonstrates cowardice, such a person is not doing anything glorious. Such a person is a disgrace and is actually operating in the realm of crime; and there is no heroism whatsoever in it.
“Now the way people are presenting this attitude makes it look as if they want to feel heroic; you desert your unit, you go about telling lies of what is happening in the front so that you would look like a gallant. Such a person should be reported and if possible arrested and presented to the authorities. If it takes 20 years, a deserter is a deserter, we will get him.”
Olukolade also disclosed that soldiers who allegedly attacked the general officer commanding of the 7th Division of the army in Maiduguri, Maj-Gen Ahmed Mohammed, were being tried for mutiny.
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“We have gone beyond investigation. Much as it would continue to make a case against anyone found behaving unexpectedly in that incident, a number of people, as a result of that, are definitely facing trial at the moment. We will speak on it when the trial is over and it is concluded.”
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