The Nigerian army denied on Sunday that there was any power struggle between the Chief of Defence Staff and the Chief of Army Staff in the ongoing war against Boko Haram in the country’s northeast, or any take over of the operations against the terrorists from the Army by the Defence Headquarters as being speculated in the media, and disclosed that soldiers found to have helped Boko Haram’s recent killings would be tried and punished.
The statement suggested that some Nigerian soldiers, sent to fight Boko Haram, were either not doing their job deliberately, or were actually helping the terrorists wage war on Nigeria and kill innocent people.
Hundreds of people were killed in recent weeks by Boko Haram in Chibok, Adamawa and Dalori near Maiduguri, and the army said in a statement on Sunday night that it had already set up a special court martial to try soldiers found wanting.
“The recent unfortunate attacks by Boko Haram terrorists on communities close to Maiduguri, despite our successes calls for concern. To this end the Nigerian Army has already commenced investigation into the attacks.
“All those found wanting will be dealt with in accordance with the Armed Forces Act,” said a statement by Colonel Sani Kukasheka Usman, the Acting Director Army Public Relations of the Nigerian Army.
Usman said a standing Special Court Martial in the North East has already been established by the Nigerian Army where “all cases of indiscipline and related acts of misconduct including human rights abuse in the operations will be tried by the this Special Court Martial”.
He said speculations in the media, especially the online media, that the Operation LAFIYA DOLE, a code name for the operations against Boko Haram in the country’s northeast, had been taken over by the Defence Headquarters and that soldiers were not happy about it, were false and mischievous.
Those speculations, he said, were “unfortunate” and the “figment of imaginations of the respective media” and were aimed at distracting “the military, create rancour and disaffection among the components fighting Boko Haram terrorists”.
In a statement titled “speculations on the take over of the command of operation Lafiya Dole misleading”, Usman reiterated that since inception of the operations against Boko Haram, there had always been a “hierarchy of command and control as indeed in all military operations”.
“The Armed Forces Act (AFA), Cap A20, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria (LFN), 2004 in Section 7, clearly states the appointment of the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) and his powers. He therefore exercises his powers in accordance with the appropriate statue books. He superintends over all the Services; Nigerian Army, Nigerian Navy and the Nigeria Air Force,” Usman said, adding that “therefore, the operation in the North East is not an exception”.
“On the other hand, the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) is responsible for all land operations and will continue to exercise that role and as may be directed by the President, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria through the Honourable Minister of Defence, the CDS or directly to the COAS as the case may be.
“Operation LAFIYA DOLE is essentially Land and Air operation. The Nigerian Army has the largest troops deployed and therefore the COAS has the responsibility for the operational, command, control and discipline of the Army. This, the COAS will continue to exercise by himself or can delegate through his field commanders,” Usman explained.
He called on the public and Nigerians “to disregard rumours and speculations on the alleged take over of the command and control of Operation LAFIYA DOLE and continue to support the fight against terrorism and insurgency”.