Headlines Nigeria has learnt that soldiers from the 7th Division of the Nigerian Army today mutinied in their barracks against Major General Abubakar Mohammed, their General Officer Commanding. Two soldiers who spoke to our correspondent revealed that numerous soldiers shot sporadically into the air at Maimalari Barracks, which is also home to the Artillery Corps, the Ordinance, as well as army signals in Maiduguri.The 7th Division was formed only recently as a unit devoted to fighting the war against Boko Haram. General Mohammed was appointed as the GOC in February 2014.One of the sources revealed that the situation was extremely tense, adding that the GOC escaped by the whiskers as the mutiny by angry soldiers could have degenerated into a personal attack on him.
Our sources said the soldiers became enraged when they saw the bodies of their colleagues ambushed by Boko Haram terrorists in Chibok, a town in Borno State that has spurred global protests over the abductions of schoolgirls by members of the extremist Islamist sect.The restive soldiers complained that their superior have not provided them with adequate weaponry with which to fight the war against the better-armed Boko Haram militants.
“We the soldiers don’t have the kind of arms and ammunition that [Boko Haram] fighters have. So everyday, they kill our men anyhow, but it is never published in the media,” said one source. The other source also complained that the commanding officers “are too busy ‘eating’ money. And they do not pay our allowances on time. And once [a soldier dies], nobody knows what happens to his allowances again.”
The two soldiers also disclosed that the mutinying soldiers were fed up that their military commanders have not devised a troop rotation system to ensure that those in combat can get some rest before being redeployed to continue the bloody and frustrating war with Boko Haram insurgents.
Residents who live near the barracks also told our local correspondent that they heard the sound of sporadic exchange of gunfire. “We thought that may be Boko Haram was attacking and the army was trying to push them back,” one resident said.
Residents who live near the barracks also told our local correspondent that they heard the sound of sporadic exchange of gunfire. “We thought that may be Boko Haram was attacking and the army was trying to push them back,” one resident said.
Headlines Nigeria could not immediately confirm the whereabouts of the GOC or reports of injuries in the barracks.
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