The Nigerian Army has described as false, reports that troops drawn from 154 and 155 Task Force Battalions, who were used to dislodge Boko Haram from their spiritual base in Alagarno Forest in Borno State, staged a protest against the acting General Officer Commanding (GOC) 7 Division, Maiduguri, Brigadier-General Victor Ezugwu.
We’d reported here that the troops were angry over shortage of food and water at their location in Alargarno and vented their anger by preventing the helicopter that brought Brigadier-General Eziegwu to address them on the issue, from leaving.
Reacting to the report in a press statement yesterday, the Director, Army Public Relations, Sani Usman, said: “While acknowledging that indeed troops that captured the strategic forest of Alagarno experienced some logistics problem that include water shortage due to unforeseen circumstances, which is normal in a war situation, it is not true that the troops protested.
“If Alagarno is truly inaccessible, how did the gallant troops rout out the Boko Haram terrorists in the forest? The concoction of this story and the release of yet another video by some remnants of Boko Haram terrorists could be more than mere coincidence. For the avoidance of doubt, the acting General Officer Commanding (GOC), 7 Division, Brigadier General V.O. Ezugwu indeed visited the troops and also supplied water to them”.
“Consequently, the Nigerian Army wishes to request the retraction of this story by the paper and also enjoin reporters to always crosscheck their facts before filing their stories”, Mr. Usman, a colonel, added.
