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The Nigerian army has responded to the allegation made by the Governor of Borno State, Prof Babagana Umara Zulum, accusing some of its officers deployed for Operation LAFIYA DOLE of extortion.
Earlier reports by LIB stated that Governor Zulum accused the soldiers deployed along Maiduguri – Damaturu Road of extorting commuters and causing them unnecessary hardship.
However, in a statement released by Nigerian Army Operations Media Coordinator Col. Aminu Iliyasu, the Nigerian military stated that it takes such allegations seriously and will conduct investigations to verify them.
He also emphasized the Nigerian army’s commitment to protecting the lives and property of all law-abiding citizens and its determination to eliminate insurgents from the North East.
The statement read:
”It is important to unequivocally observe that public outburst particularly by eminent personalities such as a State Executive could be counterproductive and indeed capable of reversing the gains recorded so far in the ongoing fight against insurgents and other criminal elements across the nation.
“It is on record that, whenever such allegations of troop’s’ misconduct were made in the past, the Nigerian Army never reneged in conducting thorough investigations to establish them and where any infractions were established against any personnel, appropriate sanctions were applied in line with extant rules and regulations as provided for in the Armed Forces Act CAP A20 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria.
“Thus, the Nigerian Army wishes to assure the good people of Borno State and indeed the nation at large that any allegations of misconduct against the Nigerian Army troops will be duly investigated and culprits will be dealt with accordingly.
“The Nigerian Army wishes to emphatically reiterate its steadfastness on the protection of lives, property of all law-abiding citizens as it is committed to wiping out insurgents from the North East and other forms of criminality across the country. Additionally, citizens’ continuous support and cooperation is highly appreciated.
“Any observed misconduct by troops could be reported directly through a toll – free code 193 for immediate remedy.”