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edition reported that outdated military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that apart from outdated weapons,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."
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