Army pardons 3,032 dismissed soldiers

A total of 3,032 soldiers who were dismissed from the Nigerian Army have been reinstated.

This followed a review of their cases by the committee set up by the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai.

According to the acting Director of Army Public Relations, Col. Sani Usman, who made this known at a press briefing in Abuja on Thursday, about 5, 000 cases were presented for review.

Usman, who explained that the cases presented to the disciplinary review committee were treated on merit, also added, that the review process was still on.

Recal, that ripples.com.ng had reported that about 2,500 soldiers who were shown the way out of the Nigerian Army for various offences alleged to have been committed during the war against insurgency in the North east part of the country, had been recalled.

According to Usman, only soldiers with disciplinary cases have been reinstated as those with criminal cases are not even considered by the committee.

Usman said, “You would recall that the Nigerian Army some time ago instituted a committee to review the recent https://www.ripplesnigeria.com/en/wp-admin/plugins.phpdisciplinary cases in the service, especially of those soldiers in the defunct “Operation Zaman Lafiya.”

Read also: 2,500 soldiers, 102 officers get respite, recalled

“The committee has concluded its initial sitting and has made certain recommendation that led to the reinstatement of 3, 0 32 soldiers out of 5,000 cases reviewed so far.

“The cases reviewed were only disciplinary as no criminal cases were considered, the review is ongoing but the bulk of the work has been done for the time being.”

The director said the reinstated soldiers had since commenced re-training at a military facility in Niger, preparatory for their eventual redeployment to the operational theatre.

He said the re-training would reacquaint the reinstated soldiers with development in the reinvigorated fight against insurgency in parts of the North-East.

Col. Usman also said that the Boko Haram sect is feeling the heat of the renewed onslaught by the Nigerian Army against it as its members are now said to be in disarray.

He said the foot soldiers of the sect were abandoning their masters, burying their guns in the forest and looking for escaping routes.

Col. Usman,  said the military offensive had left the terrorists with no formidable force again.

RipplesNigeria …without borders, without fears

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now