Tobias Sylvester
The former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode and the Senator representing Bayelsa East constituency in the National Assembly, Ben Murray-Bruce has both reacted to 190 policemen who refused to fight Boko Haram by running away for their lives.
Yesterday we reported that the Police Force Headquarters, Abuja, has ordered the arrest and prosecution of 190 police officers ran away because they were to be sent to battle Boko Haram terrorist without appropriate training. (Read the report HERE).
Reacting to the incident, Fani-Kayode took to his Twitter Page to say that the reason the officers absconded was because 91 percent were Christian and 88 percent were southerners.
Out of the 167 "runaway policemen" that were assigned to fight Boko Haram, 91% were Christian and 88% were southerners. Can you blame them for running?
No matter how many Christmas carols he sings, Buhari's ethnic and religious agenda is becoming more obvious by the day.
— Femi Fani-Kayode (@realFFK) December 27, 2018
He wrote:
“Out of the 167 “runaway policemen” that were assigned to fight Boko Haram, 91 percent were Christian and 88 percent were southerners. Can you blame them for running?
“No matter how many Christmas carols he sings, Buhari’s ethnic and religious agenda is becoming more obvious by the day.”
Ben Bruce also reacted to the incident via his Twitter account that it was common sense for the police personnel to feel ‘demotivated’ towards the fight against Boko Haram, having witnessed how the Federal Government purportedly neglected the families of heroes who lost their lives battling terrorists in the region.
Why won’t the policemen run? If they die what will happen to their wives and children? Look at how we buried the hero soldiers who died at Metele? The President did not attend. He was not represented. Those policemen were watching. Are they fools? Do they want the same treatment?
— Ben Murray-Bruce (@benmurraybruce) December 26, 2018
He wrote:
“Why won’t the policemen run? If they die what will happen to their wives and children?
“Look at how we buried the hero soldiers who died at Metele. The President did not attend. He was not represented. Those policemen were watching. Are they fools? Do they want the same treatment?”
However, the Nigerian military has offered a clear explanation on a news report that over 150 among the 2000 Policemen deployed to fight Boko Haram insurgents in the North East, absconded from their counter-insurgency military training exercise.
Brigadier-General A. S. Ishaq, the Coordinator Nigeria Police Force for Operation Lafiya-Dole (NPFOLD), in a chat with PRNigeria, said there was nothing like policemen absconded, but just a case of some recalcitrant personnel leaving their training base for a reason which was not cogent.
The top Army officer added that the special training, which should have been concluded last Friday, was extended for one week to enable the Policemen to partake in all the requisite military combat exercises before they depart the camp.
“The Policemen didn’t abscond as alleged in media reports. What happened was that some of the Police officers insisted on going for the Christmas holiday. But in line with standard military operations, there was no way officers undergoing special training on a combat-operation, could leave their base when the training exercise has not rounded up.
“So, we refused to grant them permission. However, the unruly ones among them left our Special Forces School at Buni-Yadi, venue of the training. But thank God, the unruly personnel were tracked at Damaturu, the state’s capital. Right now, some of them have been brought back to the School.”
