by Fidelis Soriwei, Okechukwu Nnodim and Kayode Idowu
Director of Defence Information, Maj.-Gen. Chris Olukolade
| credits: www.ynaija.com
NO fewer than 480 Nigerian soldiers have fled into Cameroon following fierce fighting with Boko Haram insurgents.
The Cameroonian Army Spokesman, Lt Col Didier Badjek, who confirmed this, said the troops had already been disarmed.
But the Director of Defence
Information, Maj. -Gen Chris Olukolade, said the soldiers merely
strayed into Cameroon and therefore were not “deserters.”
Badjek told the British Broadcasting Corporation
on Monday that the disarmed Nigerian soldiers were being
accommodated in schools in Maroua, about 80 kilometres from the
Nigerian border.
The BBC which added that there were
clashes in the border town of Gamboru Ngala, said that thousands of
civilians also fled to Cameroon.
Our correspondent in Maiduguri gathered
that Boko Haram insurgents had at about 5.15am on Monday invaded
Gamboru, forcing both civilians and soldiers to flee to Cameroon.
One of the residents who called from
Cameroon, said the insurgents went straight to attack the military base
and police station in the town.
He said an initial attack was repelled by the military which killed many of the insurgents.
The resident added that about two hours later, the insurgents regrouped and launched a fresh attack on the troops.
He said. “They engaged the military and
caused them to retreat into Cameroon. It was most likely that the
Nigerian soldiers ran out ammunition.
“But some soldiers later emerged with their Cameroonian counterparts and continued the battle with the insurgents.
“As I am speaking to you now (4pm on
Monday), we are still hearing sound of gunshot miles away, meaning they
are still engaging themselves.”
An elderly woman who did not want her
name in print, told journalists on the telephone from her temporary
abode in Cameroon, that she fled “ when the shooting became intense in
parts of the town.’’
She said that she saw many corpses while fleeing to Cameroon.
But in Abuja, Olukolade told one of
our correspondents that the 480 soldiers strayed into Cameroon
while in pursuit of the insurgents.
He said the soldiers were on their way back to the country and would soon be reunited with their units in the North-East.
The army spokesman stated further that
it was the standard practice for soldiers who strayed into a foreign but
friendly country to be disarmed.
He explained that the soldiers were not expected to react because there was no hostility involved in the issue.
Olukolade also denied the claim by the
insurgents that they had taken control of Gamboru Ngala, stressing
that security operatives were still confronting them in the town.
He said, “In the pursuit of the
insurgents, some of our soldiers strayed into Cameroun. The military
authorities are in touch with the Cameroonian authorities and the
soldiers are on their way back and would soon be united with their units
in the country.
“These are normal procedures; when an Army enters a country and are not on a hostile mission; normally, they won’t fight back.
“All that has been sorted out to the best of my knowledge.
“As for Gamboru Ngala, I can tell you that the operation is still going on as we are speaking.”
The DHQ later issued a statement in which it again explained the presence of Nigerian soldiers in Cameroon.
The statement on its official website,
defenceinfo.mil.ng, stated that the troops had to submit their weapons
to the Camerounian authorities to show that they were not on any
offensive mission.
It added that it was wrong to describe
the presence of the soldiers in Cameroun as defection in view of
discussions between the military leaderships of two countries and
contacts made with the soldiers about their safety.
The statement read, “The presence of the
Nigerian troops in Cameroun was as a result of a sustained battle
between the troops and the terrorists around the borders with Cameroun
which saw the Nigerian troops charging through the borders in a tactical
manoeuvre.
“Eventually, they found themselves on
Camerounian soil. Being allies, the normal protocol of managing such
incident demanded that the troops submit their weapons in order to
assure the friendly country that they were not on a hostile mission.
“Following necessary discussions between
Nigerian and Camerounian military authorities, the issues had been
sorted out. Subsequently, the troops are on their way back to join their
unit in Nigeria.
“The reference to the incidence as a
defection is therefore not appropriate considering the discussion
between the two countries’ military leadership and the series of
contacts with the soldiers who have confirmed that they are safe.
“Meanwhile, troops are repelling a group
of terrorists who are trying to enter the country through Gamborou
Ngala. A group of them who fizzled into the town are being pursued.”
Boko Haram had on Sunday released a
video in which it said it had established an Islamic state in the towns
and villages it controls in the North-East.
Last week, a group of 40 soldiers
allegedly refused to follow orders to go and fight the insurgents,
saying the militants were better equipped.
Insurgents also seized one of Nigeria’s
two main riot police training academies, which is near Gwoza, a town
they claimed to have captured earlier this month.
Less than two weeks ago, the wives of
some soldiers had protested at the Giwa Barracks in Maiduguri against
their husbands being sent to the Boko Haram militants.
In May, some soldiers opened fire on
their commander, Maj-Gen Ahmed Mohammed, at Maiduguri’s Maimalari
barracks, blaming him for the killing of their colleagues by Boko Haram
fighters.
We’ll defend Nigeria –FG
The Federal Government has however said it is prepared to defend Nigeria even to the last citizen in the country.
It said no group would succeed in
dividing the country and noted that it had confidence in the Nigerian
Army despite threats by Boko Haram.
The Minister of Information, Labaran
Maku, who disclosed this during an interview on Channels Television,
said adventurers that were contending with Nigeria’s destiny would not
succeed.
@punchng.com
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