This
followed an allegation by Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno on Monday
when he encountered an incident at a military checkpoint along
Damaturu-Maiduguri road.
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The governor was
reported to have accused soldiers of Operation LAFIYA DOLE deployed
along Maiduguri–Damaturu Road of extorting commuters by collecting N1000
from them and causing them unnecessary hardship.
The
Nigerian Army Operations’ Media Coordinator, Col. Aminu Iliyasu, in a
statement on Tuesday, said Nigerian army as a professional and
disciplined institution viewed such allegations seriously, particularly
coming from a governor.
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According
to him, it is on record that, whenever such allegations of troops’
misconduct were made in the past, the Nigerian Army never reneged in
conducting thorough investigations to establish them.
“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 its
troops will be duly investigated and culprits will be dealt with
accordingly,” he said.
Iliyasu
said army authorities had, however, observed that such public
outbursts, particularly by a state governor, could be counterproductive.
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He
added that such outburst was capable of reversing the gains recorded so
far in the ongoing fight against insurgents and other criminal elements
across the nation.