There are mounting concerns in security circles
over the issue of special arrangement for the
security operatives deployed in the operational
areas in the three states of Borno, Yobe and
Adamawa which are under emergency rule.
Saturday PUNCH learnt that low morale occasioned
by lack of motivation and poor welfare package
might be some of the factors working against the
successful execution of the war against Boko
Haram militants in the zone.
The Islamic sect had killed close to 200 people in
the last one and half weeks including the massacre
of 53 schoolchildren in Yobe State. Thirty five
persons were also killed on Sunday during a fierce
gunfight between the insurgents and soldiers in
Mafa, a community that is 45 kilometres to the east
of Maiduguri in Borno State.
The Mafa attack was the third within 24 hours in the
troubled state. Last Saturday, a twin bomb attack
left 52 people dead while another attack on Mainok
village by the insurgents killed 39.
Saturday PUNCH learnt that both the medical care
and welfare packages for the fighting soldiers were
grossly insufficient to motivate them.
Saturday Punch had in a previous edition reported
that outdated military weapons hindered effective
war against the Islamic insurgents. It was reported
that the last time serious military hardware was
purchased for the Nigerian military was during the
Alhaji Shehu Shagari regime in the early 80s.
Also, Borno State Governor, Kashim Shettima, had
warned that from what he had seen, the
sophistication of the weaponry of the Boko Haram
insurgents could not be compared with that of
Nigeria’s military.
But Saturday PUNCH findings showed that apart
from outdated weapons, other issues bordering on
welfare and motivation might be hindering effective
war campaign against members of Boko Haram.
Some of the soldiers who spoke to Saturday PUNCH
on the condition of anonymity, because it is against
military rules for unauthorised soldiers to speak to
the press, alleged that apart from the poor welfare
package, some of the wounded soldiers pick their
own medical bills while others do not get the
required comprehensive medical attention.
It was gathered that most of those injured in
conflicts were treated at the barracks while
complicated cases were referred to government
hospitals, including the University of Maiduguri
Teaching Hospital.
A soldier said, “Some of the injured are compelled to
pay for their drugs, they have to pay for the
expensive drugs, the only drugs available are
usually paracetamol and phensic. ’’
He claimed that some soldiers’ limbs had been
amputated due to lack of proper medical attention.
Another soldier told our correspondent that there
was a time one of them was shot in the stomach
and admitted at the UMTH. “’When we visited him,
we could not but be moved to contribute some
money towards his medical care, because he was
in great pain and had no money to treat himself.’’
Investigations revealed that since President
Goodluck Jonathan declared a state of emergency
in the three Boko Haram endemic states on May 14,
2013, the Joint Task Force, which assumed initial
responsibility of combating the insurgents, put in
place an arrangement to pay N1,000 per day to
each security operative involved in the operation.
It was learnt that the same amount was paid to
soldiers, riot policemen, State Security Services
officials and other security operatives under the
JTF.
Security sources said that while the Federal
Government paid N45,000 per month to each
security operative, the authorities deducted the sum
of N15,000 from each personnel as feeding
allowances in the camps.
It was further learnt that the allowances were paid
strictly on a daily basis as N31,000 is paid for
months with 31 days; N30,000 for months with 30
days and N28,000 for the month of February.
Investigation further revealed that the present
arrangement makes a provision of N50, 000 for the
family of any soldier or security operative who gets
killed in action.
It was further learnt that no extra financial
arrangement was put in place to cushion the pains
of injured soldiers in the frequent audacious attacks
of the sect.
It was also learnt that while in principle, medical
arrangement was supposed to be made available
for injured soldiers, some of them with gunshot
wounds were left at the MRS.
The MRS is a short term for the traditional medical
facility in any military formation in the country.
In most cases, the MRS is not equipped to the level
of a standard medical facility with the capacity that
could give adequate treatment to gunshot wounds
inflicted on soldiers during gunfights.
It was further learnt that even those who were
taken to the general hospitals where they are
supposed to be treated for free had issues with the
quality and frequency of the feeding arrangement.
It was stated that a good number of security
operatives were being lackadaisical because of the
magnitude of risk and the associated loss involved
in the operation if things went the other way.
The source said, “What they pay is N45, 000 per
month to each security operative. When you say
soldiers, there is no difference between a soldier,
police, SSS, immigration, customs or any other
security agent.
“Out of the N45, 000, they deduct N15, 000 per
month from every operative for feeding.
“What they pay is N1,000 per day because they
pay N30, 000 when the month has 30 days and
N31, 000 when the month is 31 days. They pay
according to days in the month. As for allowances
for the injured, I am not aware of any such
allowances.
“If you are unlucky and you are injured, you are
taken to a general hospital, where you will be
treated. They will feed you but if you rely solely on
that and you don’t have money , hunger go wire
you .”
“There are also occasions when soldiers are taken
to the MRS where they simply dress the wounds if
there are no spaces in the general hospitals.
“And if a soldier or security operative is killed, they
pay N50, 000 to the family, they take the body back
home and that is it. Of course, this is apart from the
entitlement of the personnel in his service.
The source said that the issue of the N50, 000
death allowance to the family was a major
disincentive to the soldiers and security operatives
involved in the fight.
It was stated that many security operatives were
reluctant to be transferred to the operational areas
because of the feeling that N50,000 could be easily
made in a non-operational area and was not worth
the risk.
In Borno State, some of the soldiers who spoke to
Saturday PUNCH said they were not being paid the
feeding allowance.
One of them who said, “We were supposed to get
N45,000 monthly allowance which should also take
care of our feeding but instead of getting the whole
amount, we are only paid N30,000 monthly with the
understanding that the remaining N15,000 was
deducted to prepare food for us.”
The soldier, who is of the infantry unit of the
Nigerian Army, said that he was returning to the
troubled Maiduguri. He explained that in his first
sojourn to the troubled region, soldiers were served
thrice daily.
He said, “But now the food is brought just once; the
whole three meals are brought at the same time.’’
He also lamented that the quality of the food was
poor.
Another soldier, a Lance Corporal said, “I just dey
manage the food, it is not something that is worth
the N15,000 they are taking from me monthly but
wetin man go do?”
He said he believed that the allowance was jointly
contributed by the state and the Federal
Government.
The soldiers described the N1,000 per day
allowance as grossly inadequate. One of them said
it was generally believed that the allowance is
N5,000 daily, but that the officers were short-
changing them.
He said the most annoying thing was that the
soldiers were made to go back home empty-
handed after the exercise. The soldier, who said
this was his second time of being deployed in the
state, explained that: “The other security outfits in
the Joint Task Force deployed out of the state went
away with N1m when they were being deployed
from the state but those from the Army went with
nothing.”
One of the soldiers lamented that other incentives
from the governor of Borno State were not given to
them by their superiors. He said, “There was a day
we went out with the governor and he gave the
officers N12,000 each for a soldier but the officer
just bought a can of coke for each of us and did not
give us anything.
“It is a pity that there is so much corruption in the
system and this is discouraging, especially at times
like this when morale should be high to deal with the
insurgents.”
The soldiers, however, said the state governments
in the region had been helpful to families of soldiers
that lost their lives in the fight against the
insurgents.
“The states give N1m each to the families of slain
soldiers,’’ they said, but lamented that this,
sometimes, does not get to the family of the
deceased intact, alleging that officers sometimes
give as little as N250,000 to some families.’’
When Saturday PUNCH contacted the Director of
Defence Information, Maj. Gen. Chris Olukolade, for
comments, he said that he was not in a position to
state what local and state governments were giving
to the security operatives and asked that the inquiry
be directed to them.
He stated also that the assistance being rendered
by states was not general as each state had
arrangement which might differ from the others.
Olukolade explained that the military did not have
any special conditions of service for soldiers
engaging the Boko Haram insurgents in the ongoing
operation.
He said that the statutory conditions of service for
the operatives were in place in the event of any
incident.
He also debunked the claim that N50, 000 was the
standard compensation to families who lose their
members in action, noting that the amount was
dependent on the rank of the personnel.
He said, “That is not correct, the conditions of
service apply; there is no special condition for Boko
Haram, the conditions of service apply.
“There are other entitlements and it depends on the
rank of the personnel; there is the Nigerian Army
Welfare Insurance, which is paid to them; there is
Benevolent Funds which are also paid to them.
“All of them are meant to augment other benefits
that would come up. The details of the conditions of
service for soldiers apply and they differ…
“On the issue of what states or local governments
are giving, what Borno claims to be using to assist
may be different from that of Yobe and Adamawa, it
is not universal.”
SOURCE: SATURDAY PUNCH
No comments:
Post a Comment