How I escaped death fighting insurgency –Soldier
A Nigerian soldier fighting the Boko Haram
insurgency in Borno State has painted a picture of
the sterling efforts being made by Nigerian soldiers
in the north-east to overcome the terrorist group.
In this chat with Sunday Sun, the 38-year old John
Chukwu (not real names), explained how he had
escaped being killed many times by the Boko Haram
fighters. On one occasion, he explained: “They were
firing, but they couldn’t get me. I was just like 100
meters away from them. I was firing the RPG (Rocket
Propelled Grenade). If that weapon hits any wall, it
can bring the house down. I was firing the thing
until it got finished. Then the Boko Haram fighters
engaged me; to the extent that I walked from 20
meters up to 100 meters but they couldn’t get me.”
The soldier further assured that the war against
insurgency could be won a lot quicker if there was
more commitment by the government, the officers
and soldiers of the Nigerian Army.
*What is your rank in the Nigerian army?
I am a corporal.
Attached to which division?
Army Headquarters (AHQ).
*Which unit?
Sorry, I won’t say this.
*Apart from your posting to Borno, have you gone
on any other peacekeeping?
Yes, I was in Liberia and Sudan for 6 months, the du­
ration of peacekeeping is six months.
When were you posted to Borno?
I was among the first set of soldiers sent to
Maiduguri when the state of emergency was declared
there.
*When you arrived there, what was your initial
experience like? Did you feel prepared for the war
you went to fight?
When they drafted us, we didn’t even know exactly
what was happening. We were hearing of Boko
Haram, but we didn’t know exactly what they were
doing in Maiduguri.
You mean you were not briefed?
No, we did not know anything until we got to Maidu­
guri.
*Were you then surprised when you got there?
Initially, we were on top of the situation. That time,
wherever we came in contact with the Boko Haram
insurgents, we defeated them. That was during the
time of the Joint Taskforce (JTF). The first time, it
was just like a child’s play. But when we entered
there we started seeing the reality. We saw how
soldiers were being killed and there were bombings
everywhere. They deployed us to the bushes between
Nigeria and Cameroun.
*How long have you been there now?
I have spent a year and six months now. Currently, I
am still in Maiduguri.
*Why did you leave Maiduguri?
I got a pass to see my family.
*Do you feel motivated by the army? Apart from your
salary, what other incentives do you get?
Anyway, they try. They feed us sometimes twice a
day. Once in a while, they feed us three times a day.
*You sound as if the food is insufficient?
No, how can a human being feed twice a day? The
Federal Government budgeted N100,000 monthly for
each soldier in Maiduguri, but they are paying
soldiers N30,000. That is operational allowance.
Sometimes, they pay just N28,000. When you come
outside Maiduguri, people will be congratulating you
because they think that you have made it, but at the
end of the day, they just pay us peanuts.
*What explanation do they give you for the cut in
your allowances?
There is no explanation. That is why I am
complaining that the Army is very corrupt, even the
Federal Government as a whole. If you must com­
plain, you must do so through the same man that
cheated you. You have to pass through him to lay
your complaints. You cannot bypass him.
*You said you have been in combat with Boko
Haram insurgents. What do they look like?
Boko Haram fighters look like soldiers. When you see
them you will not know the difference between them
and soldiers.
*When you engage them, how do you distinguish
them from your colleagues?
The Boko Haram fighters are hardly fully kitted. You
may see one with canvas and another without
helmet. They hardly wear helmet because it is heavy.
If you don’t have endurance, you can’t wear it. In
the Army, there is standing order that everybody
must wear helmet whether good or bad. Boko Haram
fighters don’t like helmet. So, they will just cover
their heads with that their popular scarf; and wear
the army uniform.
*Do you feel that the government is sincere with the
war against the Boko Haram insurgents?
Mr. President is not sincere with the fight because if
you give someone money to buy weapon, you
should be able to know whether what the person
supplied is new or not. If you buy new Caterpillar
today, you will know that it is a new one. But all the
things we are using are old weapons that Alhaji
Shehu Shagari bought during his time in office. So,
when the government asks them to buy weapon,
they will go and repaint the old weapons and
present them as new ones. And the president will
take it like that.
*Do you think that the president will know that they
did not really buy new weapons?
He knows. There is no way the president will not
know that they didn’t buy new ones.
*If the weapons you use are outdated, does that
mean that Boko Haram has more sophisticated
weapons? What kind of weapons do they use?
Yes. They use Anti-Aircraft. You can use it to bring
down an aircraft from the sky. Boko Haram also uses
RPG (Rocket Propelled Grenade). And people are
saying that we are fighting war in Maiduguri. And
truly we are fighting war, but there is no equipment.
Could you believe that there is only one jet operating
in Maiduguri?

SEE MORE OF THIS INTERVIEW AT http://skyblings-entertainment..com/2014/09/face-to-face-with-boko-haram-true.html

eyah! What a torrid experience it must have been for him.

# stop corruption and equip them soldiers

Terrible i must say. Everyone is aware that the war had no reason to drag this long, not with the Nigerian army that i know but for some individuals benefitting immensely from the upheaval. Why won't the head of state know if obsolete weapons were repainted and given to the soldiers? One functional fighter jet for a country as great as Nigeria. This whole episode has really revealed to the world and shed more light that after all, all the indices on corruption that independent body levelled against the gov't isn't a hoax. I pity the NA and pray that God protect the innocent ones who stick their neck to save this great nation from the insurgents.

What a horrible experience and yet this set of corrupt politicians from the state to government level are trying to return again. And then someone would want me to vote in this yeye country...

naija i hail thee

These are d kind of news that should b on front page so dat well meaning nigerians can voice out against dis evils.

Skyblings:
Federal Government budgeted N100,000 monthly for
each soldier in Maiduguri, but they are paying
soldiers N30,000. That is operational allowance.
Sometimes, they pay just N28,000. When you come
outside Maiduguri, people will be congratulating you
because they think that you have made it, but at the
end of the day, they just pay us peanuts.
*What explanation do they give you for the cut in
your allowances?
There is no explanation. That is why I am
complaining that the Army is very corrupt, even the
Federal Government as a whole. If you must com­
plain, you must do so through the same man that
cheated you. You have to pass through him to lay
your complaints. You cannot bypass him.
SEE MORE OF THIS INTERVIEW AT http://skyblings-entertainment..com/2014/09/face-to-face-with-boko-haram-true.html

Can anyone explain this to me, Okay, if someone cheated me and I need complain to higher authority, I need pass through the same pregnant man that cheated me? Omg what is wrong with this country? Okay I thought all my allowance during Nysc was paid directly into my account, does this useless army tradition also forbid e-payment, directly from the army head quarters or banks to the soldiers account without passing through any Oga?

I give up

They should not kill those soldiers o, because they did not realy raised false alarm!