Kanyi Okeke
In his reaction to the allegations, Director of Army Public Relations, Brigadier General Rafael Isa said the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Onyeabor Ihejirika has directed the 3 division headquarters to commence investigation of the two soldiers arrested at about 11.30pm on Monday.
He said: “The attention of the Nigerian Army has been drawn to the unfortunate development unfolding in the aftermath of the rescue of Mr. Michael Obi from kidnappers. We view this seriously especially the mention of soldiers of the Special Task Force, Jos, as suspects by the victim. This brings to fore the fact that the Army itself is not insulated from the kind of criminal activities that we see and hear from the larger society.
“For now, the 3 Division headquarters in Jos, has arrested two non commissioned officers based on information received from the victim and Kano State Police Command, at about midnight yesterday. The military Police have also commenced investigation to verify this serious allegation. We equally want to assure the public that the Army headquarters is disturbed and will not hesitate to deal with any soldier who would want to throw away the core ethics of the profession by engaging in such criminal activities as kidnapping, rob bery and the like”.
Asked if the alleged involvement of soldiers in kidnapping was not a sign that morale in the Army was low, General Isa said: “Let me assure you that morale in the Army is high. If it turns out true that those soldiers did what they are accused of, their problem is not that of morale. The soldiers of the JTF are well kitted, their equipment is new, they have new vehicles to perform their functions and they are well catered for.”
