The military high command is proposing life imprisonment or death penalty for personnel selling or leasing arms or ammunition to bandits and terrorists.
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The General Officer Commanding (GOC) 8 Division Nigerian Army and Commander Sector Operation Fansan Yamma, Maj.-Gen. Ibikunle Ajose, disclosed this when he played host to Defence Correspondents in Sokoto, on Tuesday.
The correspondents’ visit to the 8 Division of the Nigerian Army and the Theater Command Operation Fansan Yamma was part of the Defence Headquarters’ (DHQ) efforts to give journalists firsthand experience on the frontline.
The GOC was responding to allegations of soldiers aiding terrorists and bandits against the state, and the unguarded use of social media by soldiers in frontlines.
But Maj.-Gen Ibikunle said any soldier convicted of collaborating with bandits or terrorists will face severe penalties.
He said: “In fact at present, the military is proposing life imprisonment or death penalty for personnel selling or leasing arms or ammunition to bandits and terrorists.
“Regarding soldiers’ social media use on the frontlines, any violation is clear disobedience of our social media rules. Soldiers are required to adhere to our guidelines, and those who misuse social media face sanctions, including dismissal.”
Maj.-Gen. Ajose urged journalists to support the military’s efforts to rid the country of criminals by reporting only verified facts about military operations and avoiding fake news and misinformation.
Responding to reporters’ questions about drone threats from the terrorist group, the GOC stated that there have been no drone attacks by terrorists in the Northwest.
He said: ‘We are prepared for any eventuality. We have technology to counter such threats and our personnel are trained to handle them.
“When bandits first deployed a surveillance drone, our troops shot it down, and they haven’t attempted it since.”
Gen. Ajose said that heightened military onslaught in Sokoto and Kebbi states have subdued activities of the Lakurawa terror group.
“We have destroyed their camps in Sokoto and Kebbi State,” he said.
“Because it is a mobile terror group, they moved between Nigeria and Niger Republic, but we are working with our Nigerien counterpart so that they don’t give them breathing space.
“But this achievement came with a price, as some soldiers paid the supreme price and some decapitated.”
The GOC said that the Nigerian military has continued to curtail the criss-crossing of the Lakurawa group into Nigeria from Niger Republic through engagement with the locals in the border communities.
“In the communities we have a lot of presence, we were able to win the trust of the people and they provide us with information about the movement of this group,” he said.
“But we have problems where we don’t have a constant presence. This means that we just go into those communities when there are problems and we leave. In these communities we won’t be able to win the people’s trust. And this is where the state government must come in.
“The state should come in to win their trust by providing them with basic amenities. This will give them a sense of belonging, and subsequently enhance our operations.”
The GOC said that military’s non-kinetic operation last month led to the release of 100 kidnap victims by their abductors in Katsina State.
He said the intensive engagement with the Fulani and Hausa communities in the state led to the unconditional release of the kidnapped persons.
The GOC said the engagement also led some bandits and terrorists to show interest in laying down their arms and surrendering to the military.
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