Acting Director of Army Public Relations, Colonel Sani K. Usman, has come down hard on soldiers who cowardly fled from Boko Haram, dismissing their claim that the insurgents had superior weapons.

“The Nigerian Army would not tolerate any act of indiscipline let alone cowardice and desertion from any officer or soldier,” Col. Usman told News Express last night. “The issue of lack of equipment or weapons is baseless as there has never been a time when the Boko Haram terrorists were better equipped or armed than the Nigerian Army,” he added.

Below is the Army Spokesman’s detailed response as a follow-up to our story of last night on the alleged dismissal of some 200 soldiers who fled from Boko Haram terrorists:

“Thank you for your enquiry on disciplinary action being taken against some soldiers for cowardice and desertion in the face of enemies in the Nigerian Army especially as regards the fight against Boko Haram terrorists. However, I want assure you that most of the stories being peddled are far from accurate. Same thing with the figures being bandied around.

“The Nigerian Army would not tolerate any act of indiscipline let alone cowardice and desertion from any officer or soldier. Most of those that abandoned locations at the approach of the terrorists did not join the Army to fight. The issue of lack of equipment or weapons is baseless as there has never been a time when the Boko Haram terrorists were better equipped or armed than the Nigerian Army. 

“However, please note that disciplinary processes in the Nigerian Army include thorough investigation, fair hearing and impartial dispensation of justice. I really do not know where you got this information or figures. The Nigerian Army has no pre-planned outright dismissal of any soldier let alone punishing any commander for not doing so.

“Please also know that disciplinary processes or trials are never done with prior intention to dismiss anyone in the Nigerian Army. The only intention is to dispense justice and even at that, due process is normally followed. All formations and units maintain and emphasise on strict discipline and professionalism among all. This is done through training and normal administrative procedures. However, if the need to dispense justice arise, all accused are presumed innocent until proven guilty by a competent superior authority after a fair hearing or trial.”