Stories of Nigerian soldiers running away from Boko Haram militants have been widely reported - but low on ammunition and allocated vehicles that don't work, a former soldier says they are being outgunned and overpowered.

"Imagine me and you are fighting," the soldier tells me. "We both have guns but while you are wearing a bullet proof vest, I'm carrying an umbrella."

It is his way of explaining that the fight against Boko Haram is being undermined because the jihadists are often far better equipped than the soldiers.

Abiona is 40 years old and has been in the Nigerian army since he was 17. Or I should say had been, because along with more than 200 others he was dismissed last week for disobeying orders. He was accused of fleeing rather than fighting but says it was a tactical withdrawal.

He has survived several battles, in fact he sounds quite fearless, and wants to tell me about serious problems he encountered in the military.


"I've committed no crime why should I be scared?" Abiona says. "I don't carry a gun or knife. My only weapon is my mouth."

I have heard many reports of Boko Haram attacks where the soldiers ended up running away with the civilians. Traumatized parents separated from their children during the chaos have described to me how they saw troops pulling off their uniforms and fleeing. This is a rare chance to hear from the soldiers themselves.

"It was 10:30 at night," says Abiona remembering one battle in Borno State. "Suddenly we saw Boko Haram very close to our trenches. Those of us with machine guns started firing and I can tell you that was a bad day for Boko Haram. We killed more than 80 of them." After the night-long battle his soldiers were low on ammunition but when they urgently called for more supplies each soldier was given just 10 rounds. Not surprisingly, the next encounter was disastrous.

"Two days later Boko Haram were back," he tells me. "This time they had about 24 four-wheel drive vehicles, some with anti-aircraft guns mounted on them."

Soldiers in Baga, Nigeria
Outgunned and with colleagues being shot dead around him, Abiona says they retreated and spent the next 11 hours on the run as the jihadists pursued them through the bush.

There were other problems. He tells me about armoured vehicles that were in such poor mechanical condition they would just produce smoke and wouldn't move.

During another encounter with the enemy in Adamawa State he says there were military vehicles that ran out of fuel.

"What did you do?" I ask. "We had to abandon them and walk. You can't carry them on your head," was his blunt reply. Boko Haram seized the vehicles. Then in the battle for a place called Bazza he says their guns proved no match for the jihadists' firepower and so they again beat a hasty retreat.

"They overpowered us and many died. Our mortars and rocket-propelled grenades wouldn't even explode they were so old," says Ibrahim, another dismissed soldier who was in Bazza, adding: "Because of the corruption in the nation it makes everything run down."

The soldiers say they have learned that better equipment has recently been supplied to the troops but overall it seems the security situation is getting worse.

Just over 18 months ago, I watched President Goodluck Jonathan address the nation on TV as he declared a state of emergency in the north east of Nigeria and promised a massive military operation against the jihadists.

Within a few weeks I was bouncing along sandy tracks with the Nigerian military who were keen to show me some success.

We reached the just-liberated village of Marte, close to Lake Chad - along with a couple of other remote settlements it had been briefly held by Boko Haram. I met people who were mightily relieved that the black and white jihadist flags were no longer flying and were hopeful that schools would soon reopen. Back then it looked like Boko Haram would never hold territory again.

This week I managed to get through on the phone to one of the people I'd met there. "Where are you?" I asked Abba. "We are all in Maiduguri city. There's not a single person left in Marte now. We all ran away with nothing but the clothes we were wearing," he said.

His village is back in the hands of Boko Haram but as a sign of just how disastrous the military campaign has been, huge swathes of north-east Nigeria are now in the hands of the jihadists

Some may call the soldiers I met cowards. Others will say they were poorly equipped and badly let down.

"I just thank God I'm alive," Ibrahim tells me, adding: "But I pray for our colleagues who died - we couldn't carry their corpses away. May their souls rest in peace."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_WxPK6xdukQ

[size=15pt]Nigerian Army And Civilians Fleeing From Boko Haram[/size]

Captured by a resident of Mubi, Adamawa State, this video shows Nigerian soldiers
and civilians fleeing a massive Boko Haram attack

I tire

And we have a government with trillion naira budgets? Smdh

#change
#GMB
#APC

Many of these soldiers dey lie, men you need to watch the baga videos see arms wey bh seize, it is enough to sustain army for weeks if not months. It is either they are under manned or something is greatly wrong

EKONGKING:


Stories of Nigerian soldiers running away from Boko Haram militants have been widely reported - but low on ammunition and allocated vehicles that don't work, a former soldier says they are being outgunned and overpowered.

"Imagine me and you are fighting," the soldier tells me. "We both have guns but while you are wearing a bullet proof vest, I'm carrying an umbrella."

It is his way of explaining that the fight against Boko Haram is being undermined because the jihadists are often far better equipped than the soldiers.

Abiona is 40 years old and has been in the Nigerian army since he was 17. Or I should say had been, because along with more than 200 others he was dismissed last week for disobeying orders. He was accused of fleeing rather than fighting but says it was a tactical withdrawal.

He has survived several battles, in fact he sounds quite fearless, and wants to tell me about serious problems he encountered in the military.


"I've committed no crime why should I be scared?" Abiona says. "I don't carry a gun or knife. My only weapon is my mouth."

I have heard many reports of Boko Haram attacks where the soldiers ended up running away with the civilians. Traumatized parents separated from their children during the chaos have described to me how they saw troops pulling off their uniforms and fleeing. This is a rare chance to hear from the soldiers themselves.

"It was 10:30 at night," says Abiona remembering one battle in Borno State. "Suddenly we saw Boko Haram very close to our trenches. Those of us with machine guns started firing and I can tell you that was a bad day for Boko Haram. We killed more than 80 of them." After the night-long battle his soldiers were low on ammunition but when they urgently called for more supplies each soldier was given just 10 rounds. Not surprisingly, the next encounter was disastrous.

"Two days later Boko Haram were back," he tells me. "This time they had about 24 four-wheel drive vehicles, some with anti-aircraft guns mounted on them."

Soldiers in Baga, Nigeria
Outgunned and with colleagues being shot dead around him, Abiona says they retreated and spent the next 11 hours on the run as the jihadists pursued them through the bush.

There were other problems. He tells me about armoured vehicles that were in such poor mechanical condition they would just produce smoke and wouldn't move.

During another encounter with the enemy in Adamawa State he says there were military vehicles that ran out of fuel.

"What did you do?" I ask. "We had to abandon them and walk. You can't carry them on your head," was his blunt reply. Boko Haram seized the vehicles. Then in the battle for a place called Bazza he says their guns proved no match for the jihadists' firepower and so they again beat a hasty retreat.

"They overpowered us and many died. Our mortars and rocket-propelled grenades wouldn't even explode they were so old," says Ibrahim, another dismissed soldier who was in Bazza, adding: "Because of the corruption in the nation it makes everything run down."

The soldiers say they have learned that better equipment has recently been supplied to the troops but overall it seems the security situation is getting worse.

Just over 18 months ago, I watched President Goodluck Jonathan address the nation on TV as he declared a state of emergency in the north east of Nigeria and promised a massive military operation against the jihadists.

Within a few weeks I was bouncing along sandy tracks with the Nigerian military who were keen to show me some success.

We reached the just-liberated village of Marte, close to Lake Chad - along with a couple of other remote settlements it had been briefly held by Boko Haram. I met people who were mightily relieved that the black and white jihadist flags were no longer flying and were hopeful that schools would soon reopen. Back then it looked like Boko Haram would never hold territory again.

This week I managed to get through on the phone to one of the people I'd met there. "Where are you?" I asked Abba. "We are all in Maiduguri city. There's not a single person left in Marte now. We all ran away with nothing but the clothes we were wearing," he said.

His village is back in the hands of Boko Haram but as a sign of just how disastrous the military campaign has been, huge swathes of north-east Nigeria are now in the hands of the jihadists

Some may call the soldiers I met cowards. Others will say they were poorly equipped and badly let down.

"I just thank God I'm alive," Ibrahim tells me, adding: "But I pray for our colleagues who died - we couldn't carry their corpses away. May their souls rest in peace."

GEJ for Life!!!

Boasting about how he would QUASH Boko Haram "soon" but instead of equipping soldiers, they are carrying money in suitcases in a pastors private jet to loot.

Blakjewelry:
Many of these soldiers dey lie, men you need to watch the baga videos see arms wey bh seize, it is enough to sustain army for weeks if not months. It is either they are outmaned or something is greatly wrong

You are a fuuktard!

Which military college did you graduate from to know how much arms can last an army for weeks?

You counted the number of people the arms you saw was meant for?

Moronic product of a failed education system.

have you seen the arms and ammunitions that boko haram recovered from baga? it took them over two days to be assembling them, and you tell me the Nigerian Army is unequipped?
except there is a sabotage from there commanders in charge of the ammunitions.

Sagamite:


You are a fuuktard!

Which military college did you graduate from to know how much arms can last an amy for weeks?

You counted the number of people the arms you saw was meant for?I

Moronic product of a failed education system.

Like your moniker you sound like a sag cunt fool. Did you watch the video to see the amount of arms, ammunition these guys left to bh before sounding like one pus*y waiting to get fu*ked. Or didn't you read were I said maybe they were under manned

Blakjewelry:

Like your moniker you sound like a sag cunt fool. Did you watch the video to see the amount of arms, ammunition these guys left to bh before sounding like one pus*y waiting to get fu*ked. Or didn't you read were I said maybe they were under manned

You are a cretinous person!

So by looking at a video, you can count ammunition and know if it is sufficient for an army and army operation? You cound tell if it was the right type for the operation and superior to what the enemy has?

Who are you?

GI Fuuktard?

Sagamite:


You are a cretinous person!

So by looking at a video, you can count ammunition and know if it is sufficient for an army and army operation? You cound tell if it was the right type for the operation and superior to what the enemy has?

Who are you?

GI Fuuktard?

Guy your mumu no get boundary oo, an it seems you just heard the word you keep using. By the way is your father of those Runaway soldiers?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBMu99Y9R1I

[size=15pt]Nigerian Soldiers talk to CNN on Boko Haram fight[/size]

Some Nigerian soldiers have spoken to CNN and they claimed that they are being outgunned by Boko Haram and that they had to buy their combat kit themselves, pay their medical bills themselves and that the morale of the troops is currently very low.

Blakjewelry:

Guy your mumu no get boundary oo, an it seems you just heard the word you keep using. By the way is your father of those Runaway soldiers?

You are a cretinous fuuktard!

Dimwit, tell us how you knew from a video the ammunitions were enough.

Moronic product of a failed education system.

Sagamite:


You are a cretinous fuuktard!

Dimwit, tell us how you knew from a video the ammunitions were enough.

Moronic product of a failed education system.

Wasted sperm no need to argue with you, it is better your father use a condom or jerkoff the the night you were conceived

APC educated illiterates

Watch the attack on Baga and you will see the quantities of weapons captured by BH


Those ammo can help an army division with good fire discipline fight for 1 month.

Sagamite:


You are a cretinous fuuktard!

Dimwit, tell us how you knew from a video the ammunitions were enough.

Moronic product of a failed education system.

Horus:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBMu99Y9R1I

[size=15pt]Nigerian Soldiers talk to CNN on Boko Haram fight[/size]

Some Nigerian soldiers have spoken to CNN and they claimed that they are being outgunned by Boko Haram and that they had to buy their combat kit themselves, pay their medical bills themselves and that the morale of the troops is currently very low.

Change2015:
And we have a government with trillion naira budgets? Smdh

#change
#GMB
#APC

falconey:
I tire

Apart from Ammunitions, this soldiers also lack encouragement..

Imagine our President visiting the wounded Soldiers and telling them "Sorry Ehn"

That's Nonsense!

suretman:
Apart from Ammunitions, this soldiers also lack encouragement..

Imagine our President visiting the wounded Soldiers and telling them "Sorry Ehn"

That's Nonsense!

If you have not watched the attack on Baga please keep quiet

BlackTechnology:


If you have not watched the attack on Baga please keep quiet

I have watched it.. And how those that affect my opinion..

Please if you haven't watched Jonathan visit to the wounded soldiers and telling them "Sorry Ehn" Please kindly keep quiet

I thought buhari's certificate is more important than this thread

Blakjewelry:

Wasted sperm no need to argue with you, it is better your father use a condom or jerkoff the the night you were conceived

You are a cretinous fuuktard!

Instead of defending you fucktadism, you decided to tell us what your father did wrong and ended up producing you (a worthless fuuktard)?

BlackTechnology:
APC educated illiterates

Watch the attack on Baga and you will see the quantities of weapons captured by BH


Those ammo can help an army division with good fire discipline fight for 1 month.

You are a cretinous fuuktard!

So you counted from a video clip the quantity of weapon that would last an army division for 1 month?

How many times did you fail to get 5 Cs at SSCE?

F9 student!!!