The soldier, attached to Headquarters 35 Artillery Brigade Abeokuta, Ogun State, was said to have suddenly cocked his rifle and shot himself in the head.
An army officer in the 353 Artillery regiment, Ojo cantonment, Lagos identified as Boyi ThankGod has killed himself.
The soldier, attached to Headquarters 35 Artillery Brigade Abeokuta, Ogun State, was said to have suddenly cocked his rifle and shot himself in the head.
The incident happened on Monday, a colleague of the deceased told SaharaReporters.
He was said to have complained about his unpaid allowances and showed signs of depression before he eventually took his life.
“The Armed Forces Remembrance Day celebration of yesterday (Monday) turned out to be a very unpleasant and sorrowful day for the 35 Artillery brigade, as a young soldier identified as Boyi Thankgod, an officer in the 353 Artillery regiment Ojo cantonment, Lagos killed himself.
“The soldier who was attached to Headquarters 35 Artillery brigade Abeokuta, Ogun State, and was detailed for barracks standby duty at the brigade headquarters,” he said.
One of the colleagues of the deceased soldier said he “shot and killed himself at the standby duty shade at 150120hrs”.
Another soldier added, “He killed himself due to the depression and low morale in the system, it’s confirmed. He killed himself while on standby duty yesterday.
“His friends said he already showed loss of interest in the army job, complained of corruption in the military and low morale.”
“A soldier killed himself because of RCA ration cash allowances, just imagining soldiers killing themselves due to the poor administration by senior officers,” another soldier added.
Recently, there have been allegations of corruption in the Nigerian Army which some of the soldiers have blamed for their loss of interest.
According to some soldiers, the army is the epitome of deep-seated corruption. They noted that corruption is affecting the prosecution of the anti-terrorism war in the Northeast and other operations.
Some Nigerian military personnel have in the last few years committed suicide.
In November 2023, a Nigerian Army captain, Alphonsus Alexander Kalthy Bazza, killed himself in Akwa Ibom State.
The deceased who left behind some notes said he had a frustrating relationship with his commander at the army base.
He had stated in one of the handwritten notes that when the commander gave funds for the last general elections, the boss held to “my own and insisted he was going to send mine to my wife. Who does that?”
Some of the notes as transcribed read, “My encounter with co – Lt Col NY Suleiman Baburka; 1 Never Knew him before now. 2. First met him in 7615 Roon when he reported as my Co. 3. He started acting bias and was telling me how my uncle- Maj. Gen. EA Anaryw tasked him to put an eye on me. In which armies of the world is that done?
“4. He always called me a liar & don’t trust me – I don’t expect his trust & I am a Junior Colleague of his, I deserve to be treated with dignity. 5. He calls me a drunk. 6. I applied for Pass to enable me Process my late mother’s death benefit. My Co opined that there was ban on leave & Passes, after I spoke to the Command, he insisted that I Present him with the Chat btw myself & the Command.
“7. I lost my Son & demanded to go & bury my child, he went further to say I am a liar & later approved Six (6) days for me. 8. When funds for election was given by the Comd, he held to my own and insisted he was going to send mine to my wife. Who does that?
“9. I met my co on the 20th March 2023 to permit me go to my house in Jummy’s court to enable me have change of Camouflage because the one on me was too dirty, he Permitted me and did not give me a specific timing. I came back after 3 hrs of organizing myself, only for my Co to issue me 3 days extra duty.
“10. Whenever he speaks to me in his office, he raises his Voice and always ask me to get out of his office. He calls me a wounded liar in front of Soldiers. I expect as my superior, let him mentor me and not me constantly insulting my post.”
In June 2023, a female officer of the Nigerian Air Force, simply identified as George also reportedly committed suicide at her place of residence in Ikeja, Lagos State.
It was reported that George, a Master Warrant Officer working at 651 Base Services Group Resident at Block T5 Flat 8 in Sam Ethnan Air Force Base Ikeja, was found dead at her home.
In March 2021, a soldier, Bello Useni, with the Nigerian Army School of Armour in Bauchi also killed himself.
In September 2020, a lance corporal attached to the Army’s 27 Task Force Brigade in Buni Gari, Gujba Local Government Area of Yobe state, reportedly committed suicide at his duty post.
In July 2020, a soldier in the Army’s 202 battalion in Bama, Borno state, killed a lieutenant who did not give him a pass to visit his family.
In 2019, a soldier reportedly hanged himself in Abuja. And in 2017, another soldier reportedly committed suicide after killing his superior officer.
Soldiers, especially those deployed in Operation Lafiya Dole in the North East, often complain about poor welfare.