Director of defence information, Major-General Chris Olukolade, on Tuesday warned soldiers that deserting the military is a crime that is as serious as terrorism.
Olukolade said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) while reacting to claims that soldiers deployed to the north-east zone of the country to fight insurgency were deserting the military.
“Desertion is a very serious crime in the military; it is as criminal as the terrorist himself and we have our ways of dealing with desertion,” he said.
“We don’t believe that correct, good soldiers will desert under whatever condition and for the condition being slated. It is clear that the authorities are making the best effort to improve on this situation.
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“And for welfare and for the equipment, there has been incremental development to ensure that issues involved are addressed and it should not be an excuse for anybody. It is an act of gross indiscipline and is not expected of any serious, good soldier.”
Olukolade reiterated the military’s resolve not to concede any part of the country to terrorists or any group, saying that reports of the hoisting of flags by the Boko Haram insurgents in certain local government areas in Borno are untrue.
“As far as we are concerned in the Nigerian Armed Forces, we will not allow any strange flag to fly anywhere or on any portion of the Nigerian soil,” he said.
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“We not are ready to concede any portion of this country to insurgents or any other authority other than the authority of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“Any strange flag flying anywhere is illegal and we have not conceded any portion of the country where a flag different from the flag of Nigeria should be flown.”
On Sunday, wives of soldiers staged a protest at Giwa Barracks in Borno state, demanding that their husbands should not be deployed to areas known to be the strongholds of the sect.
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