Nigeria Army is only reviewing, not dismissing cases of sacked soldiers - DDAPR

Major General Tukur Buratai
Chief of Army Staff, Nigeria Army 

By Blogger 

The Nigerian Army has called on journalists reporting for various media outfits in the country to desist from misinforming the public in their coverage of the ongoing trial of soldiers that have been sacked for professional misconduct or established cases of desertion. 

The army said its recent resolve to look into recent petitions filed by concerned persons should not be mistaken for a total recall of those affected. 

The army said being a body under a democratic system which strictly adheres to the doctrines of due process, its administrative procedures should not be  mistaken misconstrued by the media especially as it concerns recent disciplinary actions meted on erring soldiers.

Reacting to the recent media publications on the controversy surrounding the dismissal of soldiers, the Acting Director Department of Army Public Relations, Sani Kukasheka Usman, a Colonel, said the army has never said it was granting a total recall of soldiers that were either dismissed or the deserters.

"The attention of the Nigerian Army has been drawn to a correspondence making the rounds in some media regarding an administrative procedure to review some recent disciplinary cases in the Nigerian Army", said Colonel Usman.

He said the army has received avalanche of petitions and litigation notices from concerned aggrieved personnel seeking one form of redress or the other. And in its culture of giving every soldier a sense of fair-hearing, the army is currently looking into those received petitions. 

"For the avoidance of doubt it should be noted that the Nigerian Army is reviewing all recent disciplinary cases due to the wave of litigations and petitions by some aggrieved personnel.  

"The public should not misconstrue the recent directive to mean total recall of dismissed and deserter soldiers", said Colonel Usman. 

Nigeria's new Army Chief, Major General Tukur Buratai had made it clear that under his command no soldier would be condoned for any form of indiscipline, even as he promised a robust and improved welfare for the soldiers, especially those prosecuting the counter terrorisms and counter insurgency operation in the northeast of Nigeria.