Some officers and soldiers of
the 121 Task Force Battalion
based in Pulka, Borno State,
have voiced their grievance
against officials at the
Nigeria Army Headquarters in
Abuja, accusing the officials
of indifference to their needs
and effective abandonment
of soldiers in the frontlines
of the war against Islamist
insurgent
Some of the soldiers told our
correspondent that they had
been deployed to the war
zone since 2013, spending
three years on the front
lines without rotation to
another, less stressful
location. “And yet there are
soldiers and officers who
have never been to the
frontline since the
insurgency began,” one of
the mid-level officers at the
base told our correspondent.
A number of the soldiers
complained of a prolonged
loss of a sense of normalcy
in their lives. Two of the
soldiers, who are both
married, stated that they had
had neither physical contact
nor communication with their
spouses, children and other
loved ones. “We have no
connection with even our
wives and children because
we don’t have
telecommunication network
here,” one of them stated.
The soldiers disclosed that
all masts in the war zone had
been destroyed, adding that
the lack of communication had
frayed relationships.
“Let the world know that we
came in here as a battalion
with a full battalion strength,
but now we have been so
much battered that we are
less than a company
strength,” said a sergeant.
He added, “We are losing
hope in the commanders in
Abuja. The Army
Headquarters have now
officially withdrawn our unit
(121 Task Force Battalion)
only in name, but we, the
troops, are still here, now
attached as a company to
another unit just coming into
Operation Lafiya Doyle.”
The soldiers said they were
demoralized, adding that
their low morale was rubbing
off on the newly deployed
troops. “We feel we are on
our own, and some of us may
stop giving it our all as we
used to do. 250 of us came
here. Now we are not up to
100. Some of us were killed
in action while others are
missing in action,” one of the
dispirited soldiers said.
Photo Credit

Welrez:
This is really sad to know, but it is true. My cousin who is in the war front has told me similar tales. I feel pity for them!