May 19, 2014
Abusidiqu
A Nigerian soldier has revealed that they only get 60 bullets and insufficient equipments to fight the dreaded Boko Haram insurgent group.
The soldier who spoke anonymously in an interview with Sky News, said that even the weapons which they have are old, worn down and ineffective.
His claim is coming at time several revelations are being made about the capacity of the army to fight the insurgent group, thereby giving credence to insinuations that soldiers in the army do not have sufficient equipment to take on the terrorists.
READ: Nigerian Military Explains Why It is Not Winning the War Against Boko Haram
He described an army which is haemorrhaging morale and which lacks the will or the means to take on the terrorists.
He said his views reflected the feelings felt throughout the army about the war on terror in Nigeria’s northeast.
“They give us just AK47s to go into the bush to fight Boko Haram,” he told us.
“Our equipment doesn’t work and they give us just two magazines (60 bullets) to go into the bush.”
He went on to say many soldiers were complaining about not receiving their allowances and being made to wait weeks, sometimes months, for salaries to be paid.
People attend a protest calling for the release of abducted schoolgirls from the remote town of Chibok in Abuja People attend a protest in Abuja calling for the release of the schoolgirls
“It’s not right,” he said.
“We feel so bad because we … are trying, the soldiers are trying our best but the civilians don’t realise what the Nigerian army is issued with, what they are given to go and fight the Boko Haram.
“They don’t know the calibre of the weapons that the Nigerian army is giving them.
“The calibre of the Boko Haram weapons is past (better) than the Nigerian army weapon.”
