Mutiny: Nigerian military redeploy’s controversial commanding officer

“The GOC has been redeployed based on the decision of the headquarters,” he said.

The Defence Headquarters on Thursday announced the redeployment of Ahmed Mohammed as the General Officer Commanding (GOC), 7 Division, Maiduguri.

Chris Olukolade, the Director of Defence Information, made the announcement at a news conference in Maiduguri.

“The GOC has been redeployed based on the decision of the headquarters,” he said.

He said an acting GOC had been appointed to oversee the affairs of the division.

He assured that the redeployment of the GOC would not affect the ongoing anti-terrorism war of the Nigerian military.

“Let me assure that the military will sustain the current tempo in the fight against insurgents,” he said.

Mr. Olukolade, a Major General, however, denied reports that Mr. Mohammed, a Major General, was wounded in the Wednesday’s protest by some soldiers, who fired at his official car during a sympathy visit.

“The GOC or his aides were not wounded during the incident; let me say again that nobody was injured during the incident,” he said.

The spokesperson said the Defence Headquarters had instituted a military inquiry into the unruly behaviour by the soldiers, who fired shots during the GOC’s visit.

“On May 13, our troops, who had been on an assignment in Chibok, were returning to Maiduguri when they were ambushed in Dalwa, few kilometres to the city.

“One officer and five soldiers were killed, while a number of others were wounded.

“The division has embarked on the normal recovery processes to recover wounded soldiers for treatment and to evacuate the bodies of those killed to the morgue.

“The General Officer Commanding (GOC) was touched by the incident. So, he wanted to sympathise with the troop by addressing those present.

“In the process, some soldiers became unruly and began to fire some shots into the air.

“The situation was quickly brought under control and normalcy restored as there was calm in the cantonment and normal operational activities are ongoing.”

He said the inquiry would come out with exact situation of things based on which the military authorities will take next action.

He described the situation as sad, saying, “the Nigerian Army is poised to uphold its principle of discipline and loyalty to service”.

PREMIUM TIMES had reported security sources confirming the attack by the aggrieved soldiers on Mr. Mohammed’s car.

The soldiers blamed Mr. Mohammed for the death of their colleagues killed in the Boko Haram ambush.

Sources said the soldiers were ambushed while on a special operation in Kalabalge Local Government Area where locals had on Tuesday morning killed about 150 insurgents and arrested 10 others.

After the operation, during which some military equipment were recovered from the insurgents, the soldiers who had arrived the council, were asked to return to Maiduguri.

The soldiers reportedly pleaded with their superiors to pass the night and return to Maiduguri the next morning, as the night trip would be too risky.

Their request was allegedly turned down and the troop had to drive in the night back to Maiduguri.

But half way through their journey, they ran into a Boko Haram ambush and 12 of them got killed while some others were injured, sources said. The military had claimed on Wednesday that only four soldiers died, before it increased the figure to six on Thursday.

“Those commanding the troop declined their request to pass the night in one of the villages on the grounds that the top ranks at the headquarters of the 7 Division would not be pleased if they don’t go back to Maiduguri that night,” said a ranking soldier, who sought anonymity.

(NAN)