There was confusion when the authorities of 7 Division of the Nigerian Army, Maiduguri, retrieved the uniforms and identity cards of 145 soldiers replaced at Marte town in Borno State.
The incident happened a few hours after seven soldiers killed in an encounter with Boko Haram/Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorists on February 14, 2021, were buried.
During the attack, the insurgents reportedly burnt military equipment, including vehicles, and stole motorcycles and food items.
Last week, soldiers, who had been serving with the 153 Task Force Battalion, Marte, since 2017, were moved to Maiduguri while those from Jaji Military Cantonment, Kaduna State, were used to replace them.
But the Army Division’s authorities retrieved the uniforms, identity cards and all other public items from the soldiers who were formerly at Marte.
One of the affected soldiers said though there was no official confirmation from Army Headquarters on whether they had been dismissed from service, “the General Officer Commanding (GOC) has ended our employments after collecting our uniforms and ID cards. Most of us have travelled home while some of us who are confused about the situation are hanging around.”
Another source said the affected soldiers were asked to proceed on 90 days leave.
When contacted, Director, Army Public Relations, Brigadier General Mohammed M.Yerima, said the affected soldiers are still in the employ of the Army.
First published in Daily Trust