Army Rubbishes Second Mutiny Report

The Nigerian Army has reacted to an online report that soldiers in Maimalari Barracks, Maiduguri, Borno State, manhandled their new GOC posted to them after the former senior officer was shot by some angry officers.

In a statement released on Friday by Director, Defence Information in the Army, Maj-Gen Chris Olukolade, the Army stated that “the online report titled ‘Second Mutiny in Maimalari Barracks as Soldiers Manhandled Commander’ is not true.”

Olukolade added that “what the online outlet garnished and dubbed as ‘mutiny’ was just a presentation of complaints by representatives of personnel families who wanted the ban on motorcycles as a means of public transportation in the barracks reversed.”

He stressed that, “no single shot fired by soldiers throughout the period as claimed in the report,” noting that the ban was part of security measures put in place for the safety of the soldiers and their families.

He said this was kicked against and “the Acting General Officer Commanding obliged their request and directed a suspension of the ban pending when the planned alternative transportation arrangement is put in place. He was not insulted or manhandled as reported.”

“The imputation of mutiny was concocted by the online medium ostensibly to raise false alarm and create the impression of disquiet in the military. It is very obvious that a section of the media is feasting on the current security challenges and is desperate to sustain the tempo of the crisis through sensational reportage.

“Mutiny is a very grievous breach that attracts severe sanctions in the military and should not be trivialized by those who do not understand its ramifications.

“The general public is therefore requested to discountenance the rumours as no such incident took place. The mass media is again requested to beware of lifting stories on the military from online media as this has become the main channel of disseminating falsehood on happenings in the system.”