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October 9, 2023
Some soldiers of 154 Taskforce Battalion deployed to fight terrorists in the Northeast region lamented that despite an increment of money earmarked for their feeding allowance, they were being fed poorly cooked rice.
The family of Nigerian soldier Corporal Sunday Okediran, attached to the 154 Taskforce Battalion of the Nigerian Army in the Northeast region of the country has cried out over the continued detention of the soldier.
Okediran has been detained by army authorities since last week for allegedly exposing the poor feeding and other welfare challenges confronting soldiers in the battalion.
SaharaReporters last Thursday reported that the Commanding Officer of the 154 Taskforce Battalion of the Nigerian Army, Lt. Col. A. A. Buba, detained Corporal Okediran.
Earlier, the newspaper reported that some soldiers of 154 Taskforce Battalion deployed to fight terrorists in the Northeast region lamented that despite an increment of money earmarked for their feeding allowance, they were being fed poorly cooked rice.
One of the affected soldiers had told SaharaReporters that the battalion in Ngamdu under the command of Lt. Col. Buba gave them only bread and tea for breakfast on Mondays and Thursdays, rice for dinners, white rice and stew for Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays “but concussion rice for the remaining weekdays.”
The soldiers shared several photographs showing the food they were served in their base and lamented the non-payment of their allowances.
Reacting to the reports, the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Taoreed Lagbaja, in a statement issued by the Director, Army Public Relations, Brigadier General Onyema Nwachukwu, ordered that an investigation should be carried out immediately into the soldiers’ claim, noting that the welfare of troops under his leadership takes a premium place amongst other important schemes and considerations.
But on Thursday, a source told SaharaReporters that Lt. Col. Buba last Wednesday morning ordered that Corporal Okediran should be locked up.
On Monday, the brother of the detained soldier told SaharaReporters that Corporal Okediran was still in detention six days after he was locked up on the orders of Buba, despite the Chief of Army Staff’s directive that an investigation should be carried out in the reported poor feeding.
“Instead of army officers carrying out Chief of Army Staff’s order to probe poor meals served to troops, they are arresting and detaining those suspected to have leaked information to newsmen.
“They have arrested particularly my brother, Private Sunday Okediran,” the brother said.