Three hundred and fifty-six (356) soldiers are formally exiting the Nigerian Army citing “loss of interest”, PREMIUM TIMES can report, in a development insiders say is indicative of broken morale in the army.
The army is currently engaged in various combat operations as insecurity worsens across the country.
Many of the soldiers are among the troops engaged in the decade-long war against Boko Haram in the Northeast, while others are from various other formations across the country.
But apart from the 356 who are leaving for losing interest in the army, 24 others are exiting because they want “to take traditional title,” making a total of 380 soldiers, including two Master Warrant Officers and 28 Warrant Officers, voluntarily discharging from the army, according to sources with direct knowledge of the development.
Already, the Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai, has, this July, approved the voluntary discharge of all the 380 soldiers who are to proceed on terminal leave on December 20 and disengage on January 3 next year in accordance with Nigerian Army Administrative Policy and Procedure 27 Paragraphs 3 and 4, our sources confirmed.
“That the reason given by most of them is ‘loss of interest’ is an indication of low morale in the army due to poor leadership,” one army insider said, claiming the army had been “broken, demoralised and polarised more than ever before under Buratai.”
“It is an indication of the rot in the system,” said another officer who knew about the mass disengagement.
More than those enduring the long official process to exit the army, many soldiers have deserted the army especially from among the troops combating Boko Haram in the Northeast, sources in the frontline said.
At various times, commanders and soldiers have appeared in videos complaining about logistical support and equipment available to them to combat the terrorists in a war that has in ten years precipitated a humongous humanitarian disaster in the Lake Chad region, displacing millions of people and killing thousands.


In one case, a former commander of Operation Lafiya Dole, Olusegun Adeniyi, appeared in a rare video admitting soldiers were outgunned by the terrorists. In that video, March this year, Mr Adeniyi could be seen among disorganised troops decrying losses of men and equipment in a particular encounter with Boko Haram, who were “facing us” from “every flank with not less than15 gun trucks.”
Mr Adeniyi was swiftly removed from his position after the video emerged, with the current commander, Faruq Yahaya, taking over.
On Tuesday, troops of 25 Brigade on patrol were ambushed by terrorists on Damboa-Maiduguri Road. In the ensuing fight, 37 soldiers were killed in action and “about 60” unaccounted for, according to security sources briefed following the losses, which also included nine gun trucks.
“Tempers were rising amongst the troops of 25 Task Force Brigade,” a source in the frontline said after the attack on Tuesday, before “the efforts to calm the situation.”
However, the military officially told the public only two soldiers died, while 17 terrorists were killed.
“That official press release is a total lie to preempt the press,” one army source said.


The source said the misrepresentation to avoid having to answer questions about the use of heavy funds and also to prevent renewed calls for the removal of the service chiefs.
Apart from the Northeastern anti-terrorism operations, the army, alongside the airforce, is combatting the spiralling armed violence from rural banditry and farmer-herdsmen conflict in the Northwest and Northcentral. In these areas, the exacerbating insecurity appears to have gone beyond the constabulary capacities of the police.

Even in the Southeast, the army has been involved in federal efforts to stop the secessionist threats; and in the Niger Delta, it helps in protecting oil and gas infrastructure.
Meanwhile, apart from the 380 soldiers voluntary exiting the army, mostly for losing interest, six others are being discharged based on the recommendation of the armed force’s medical board.


Thus, a total of 386 soldiers are disengaging – and 356 among them have opted out over “loss of interest” amid morale crisis in the service.
Units and formations have been directed to recover all military items from the affected soldiers, who are to report to the army headquarters for documentation by October 20 and complete forms to make withdrawals from various contributory schemes.
Many more have deserted without any official process, according to our sources.
“They just abandoned their guns and uniforms and ran away,” one source said.
The spokesperson for the army, Musa Sagir, denied claim of low morale in the army. “The Nigerian Army is in very high morale,” he said.
He added that the army is “very well” prosecuting all the operations it is involved in whether “the insurgency in the Northeast and banditry in the Northwest.”
He said there was no mass disengagement happening in the army. But PREMIUM TIMES reviewed documents and spoke with sources, contradicting Mr Sagir’s position.



Source:::https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/402343-nigerian-army-faces-morale-crisis-as-356-soldiers-exit-over-loss-of-interest.html

Hmmm

hmm!

Haaaa

Why won't they want to disengage when a whole Nigerian Army has turned to Boys Scout?

It's a pity, really.

Loss of moral among the file in the army didnt start today but a dangerous trend have set in.

Buhari and buratai have succeeded in killing the best armed force in Africa! Who were one time adjudged to be the best land troop in the world!

See what ordinary Chad did to boko haram but boko haram instead slaughter our soldiers every day like offerings to their gods.

Everything buhari touches dies! Anything he touches turns to dust. Nigeria is going down the drain now thanks to the vile creatures at the top!

Hmmm

Buhari badluck at it again

How do you expect them to be interested in fighting. When you give them rusty Dane gun used probably in world war 1

Many joined at a time they thought the job was an avenue to tyrannical power over bloody civilians, and a source of income while daily engaging in idleness and parades.

They did not see the inherent battles and death that lurks around such a job.

Now they have seen, so lacking any original patriotism or motivation to continue with what is now an insufferable job, they must abandon a job that is not their destiny.

. When they discovered their top officers are also commanding the boko haram troops, what do you expect? For them to sacrifice themselves for nothing?

They did the right thing,they keep getting ambushed and killed every time..I pity any foolish south man still in the army.
Only the blind military men will not know that the Fulani men and Arab nations sponsor them.

What a shame!

Buhari is a big failure.

Buratai is a faillure.

Arresting and persecuting soldiers for crying out about their welfare at the war front

While at the same time releasing Boko Haram terrorists who were arrested for killing citizens and abducting girls.

Shame.

Shame on Buhari.

Shame on Buratai.

One man once said '' After dealing with Nigeria, Somalia will be better than Nigeria "
Nigeria will never know peace and progress till they let us go ( Biafran)

Too bad

The chief of General Staff should resign and stop embarrassing us Oodua people.

This is commendable, only a fôol would keep fighting in Buhari and Buratai’s army. Ask any barrack boy, soldier or other force men to tell you their stories and you’ll weep at what the once feared Nigerian army has degenerated to. I only hope these ones going away aren’t sent to be slaughtered via the eerily regular “ambush” that happens all too often under preset incompetent leadership

Sincerely Buhari is a failure, he was a failure before, a failure now and a failure in future, I have never seen a man without luck .

He has succeeded in bringing Nigeria to her knees, having nothing to show as a country, go to embassy's and you will see Brain drain (human capital flight) at his peak ..

Sincerely, I can wait for him to finish and get out from there he is just too dull to be a president.

But what still beat my imagination & common sense is that despite these happenings there are still individual in different corner who are still rooting for him and are even willing to give him a 3rd term in office if he desires...I say this with all I got shame on you and your generations to come.

Any Igbo man that joins this present Nigerian army under the bigot Buhari, is a compound fool and anything they see they deserve! I feel nothing for them when they're slaughtered in the north by the bloodthirsty bokos!

You want to serve and die for a country that considers you worthless and a second-class citizen; a country where you're told you or your kinsfolk can never be president because of what three or four Igbos did in 1966....for which they murdered tens of thousands of your kinsfolk in the north; a country where they will borrow 22 billion dollars and tell you you're getting fuckall for your region because you're the hated 'nyamuree' and because you gave Buhari only 5%; a country where they can send Fulani soldiers to overrun your region and murder Igbo youths in cold blood becuae they're out on the streets agitating for freedom....no apology, no explanation from gov't for the killings, nothing-nothing; a country where foreigners are allowed to infiltrate your region to murder, kidnap and rape your kinsfolk, yet life continues regardless!

Any daft Igbo that dies for the interest of the core-northern hegemony (b'cos that's what sustaining 'one Nigeria' is all about) deserves to have written on his headstone: Here lies the biggest mugu of the century! He died for nothing!

You have spoken well with immeasurable passion. But sometimes it’s poverty and hardship that leaves those that join with no option. This country is a joke. The sad reality is that nothing will change not in the nearest future. We as a nation have not reached the breaking point, the few who are opportune to be benefiting from the madness going on here will never pay attention to the poor masses, they will rather die than give room for improvement. They loot the collective resources with recklessly that can be described by animals in the jungle, their greed is matchless, their appetite for stolen wealth is infinitesimal. My only prayer is that something disastrous will happen to force them to change cos paying lip service to them asking them for change is a total waste of time and energy.

PROUDIGBO:
Any Igbo man that joins this present Nigerian army under the bigot Buhari, is a compound fool and anything they see they deserve! I feel nothing for them when they're slaughtered in the north by the bloodthirsty bokos!

You want to serve and die for a country that considers you worthless and a second-class citizen; a country where you're told you or your kinsfolk can never be president because of what three or four Igbos did in 1966....for which they murdered tens of thousands of your kinsfolk in the north; a country where they will borrow 22 billion dollars and tell you you're getting fuckall for your region because you're the hated 'nyamuree' and because you gave Buhari only 5%; a country where they can send Fulani soldiers to overrun your region and murder Igbo youths in cold blood becuae they're out on the streets agitating for freedom....no apology, no explanation from gov't for the killings, nothing-nothing; a country where foreigners are allowed to infiltrate your region to murder, kidnap and rape your kinsfolk, yet life continues regardless!

Any daft Igbo that dies for the interest of the core-northern hegemony (b'cos that's what sustaining 'one Nigeria' is all about) deserves to have written on his headstone: Here lies the biggest mugu of the century! He died for nothing!