Buratai Slams Troops For ‘Cowardly’ Fleeing Insurgent Attacks, But Commander Fires Back

The Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai, has strongly rebuked commanders of Army operations in Nigeria’s North East for “cowardly” fleeing attacks of Boko Haram insurgents.

Buratai, who handed the Army commanders a new set of operational standards in a memo date July 27, expressed displeasure at the alleged situations where the troops of the “Operation Lafia Dole” abandon their duty posts due to terrorists’ attacks.

The Army Chief specifically frowned at the development, expressing worry that the troops flee attacks from Boko Haram without resisting them reasonably.

Buratai said the conduct of troops has a way of ruining the successes of the military’s anti-terrorism war and thereby debasing the morale of soldiers in other theatres of operation.

The memo reads: “Recent occurrences in” ‘Operation Lafiya Dole’ “where units abandon their positions cowardly in the face of action” from Boko Haram terrorists “without reasonable resistance is worrisome,” Mr Buratai said in the July 27 memo to all commanders, adding that it “portrayed” them as “incompetent and cowardly”.

“It also has the potentials to rubbish all the laudable gains made” in the war against Boko Haram

“Consequently,” Mr Buratai, a lieutenant-general, said any commander who “abandons his position in the face” of enemy fire “leading to avoidable death of troops and loss of equipment will be subjected” to harsh punishments as enumerated in the Armed Forces Act.

“All should be re “He’s supposed to provide strategic intelligence to the troops,” a commander said. “But had severally informed them and the world that BH is completely defeated.”minded that the law recommended any officer or soldier found guilty of cowardly behavior ‘shall on conviction by a court martial be liable to suffer death or any less punishment provided by the Act,’ depending on the circumstances of the case.”

However, a Army commander who spoke under strict anonymity to Premium Times condemned Buratai shying away from the real reasons responsible for the recent ambush and subsequent deaths of some troops at the war front.

“He’s supposed to provide strategic intelligence to the troops,” a commander said. “But had severally informed them and the world that BH is completely defeated,” the newspaper quoted the commander as saying.

The military source specifically blamed the development where the troops abandon their duty posts on alleged failures of the Chief of Army Staff.

The commander also faulted the current administration of President Muhammadu Buhari for failing to maintain the armoured vehicles and tanks purchased by the former President Goodluck Jonathan’s government.

“All the armoured vehicles and T72 tanks brought by former President Goodluck Jonathan (which this gov’t refused to sustain) have broken down and in a state of disrepair,” the officer said.

“Imagine Cameroonian soldiers had to come 60 kilometres into Nigeria to support us in Sambisa,” he said. “We keep begging them to support us because they have the equipment that we don’t have.”

The commander added that, “Same thing being done with Chad at the Lake Chad region, it is really sad.”