‘We Do Mass Burial For Killed Soldiers Every Saturday In Maiduguri’- Army Corporal

A Nigerian Army corporal with the Operations Lafiya Dole in Maiduguri has giving an insight into the dangers faced by troops fighting insurgency in the North East.

The soldier, who recently returned from the frontline, agreed to speak to THE WHISTLER only on condition of anonymity.

This website had approached him to recount his experience in battle with Boko Haram after he was introduced to the reporter as a soldier “who just returned from the battle field.”

Asked to describe his experience, the soldier who said he had been in the battle for two years, said it had been “a battle” to protect their lives and decimate the insurgents at the same time.

 “It is so frustrating seeing your colleagues gunned down and seeing them buried in shallow graves” he said, adding “I lost three of my precious friends just in a day.  Every Saturday we bury soldiers in mass graves.”

Explaining why soldiers were dying, he said the deaths were sometimes due to “ignorance” which makes them walk into the enemies’ trap=-bombs planted along their routes. But he said most of the casualties were killed by Boko Haram.

He noted that when soldiers are killed, the corpses are kept till Saturday since there are no sufficient spaces at the mortuary and also due to serious injuries sustained from bullet or bomb explosions. For those that their corpses are identified, the military authority writes to their families and if not they are buried, usually on Saturdays.

He disclosed that some villages along Maiduguri road harbour terrorists, especially a village called Awunu, where the insurgents often plan their attacks.  He said members of the communities, unfortunately, were often unwilling to share vital intelligence about the insurgents’ movements with the military. He said even the Civilian Joint Task Force (JTF) are also culpable in this.

The Soldier stressed that this  evil collaboration or conspiracy is the major factor that makes the fight against insurgency difficult for the military, and why it is suffering  high casualties on a daily basis.

He said the collaborators were profiting from the war and do not want it to end. “One of them had told me that they don’t want this to end, that any day the military leaves, the hardship will be unbearable for them,” he said.

Superior officers are saboteurs

“Yes, there are so many traitors within us. Especially, the most high ranking officers are the ones selling us just because of money. If  not how could  the Boko Haram know virtually all our plans?

“I am surprised that anytime we plan any operation, we will be attacked by them on our way and so many soldiers will lose their lives. I am alive today because my time has not come or maybe God doesn’t want me to die in the battle field.

“In area operations we have two major ways of operations strategies– advance and repel attacks. However, advance operations have not been successful because of misinformation from our superiors. Our first advance attack was a wasted efforts because we couldn’t see any Boko Haram but when came back to our camp, we were attacked that same day. Sincerely speaking, me I no just understand the Nigeria Army.

“One of the arrested Boko Haram terrorists once told me that our Commander is the same person commanding them.

“Most of those we have caught so far always accuse our so called big men. On several occasions when we are taking the war to the enemies, our commander will ask us to retreat.

“In my own opinion,   if our leaders decide to end this madness called Boko Haram it will end. But they have already taken it as business empire, and  it will be too difficult to leave it.  But For the interest of this Nation we beg them to quench this fire if not it will consumer them soon. Because a day will come that we will no longer take orders from them and if they insist we will waist them here.

“Our leaders must have a rethink if not they will soon meet their match.”