No fewer than 300 soldiers have been dismissed by the Nigerian Army for various offences ranging from desertion and absence without leave in the Operation Lafiya Dole campaign in the North-East.
It was gathered that 24 soldiers of the 118 Task Force Battalion, Kaura Cross, Baga, were dismissed from the military on December 13, 2015 for failure to board an articulated truck during an operation from Maimalari cantonment to Baga.
The Commanding Officer, Col. S. Omolori, was said to have charged them with desertion and dismissed the first batch of 24 soldiers.
Omolori was said to have discharged the second set of 30 soldiers and another 24 men also for desertion in January 4, 2016.
Findings revealed that another 45 soldiers of 157 Battalion were equally expelled on January 16, 2016 for going AWOL.
Also, 36 others, who graduated from the army depot were sent packing by the authorities for certificate forgery, inconsistent BVN, age fraud, among other issues.
Some of the affected soldiers were said to have challenged their dismissal by their unit commanders, whom they accused of high-handedness and tyranny.
The ex-soldiers in their petitions have appealed to the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai, pleaded for reabsorption into the army.
