The family of Nigerian soldier Corporal Sunday Okediran, serving with the 154 Taskforce Battalion in the Northeast region of the country, is raising concerns about his ongoing detention. Okediran has been held by army authorities for the past week after he allegedly revealed the subpar living conditions and other challenges faced by soldiers in his battalion.
Previously, some soldiers from the 154 Taskforce Battalion, deployed to combat terrorists in the Northeast, expressed their dissatisfaction with the quality of their meals despite an increase in the allocated funds for their food allowance. One soldier disclosed that they were being served inadequately cooked rice.
According to this soldier, the battalion, under the command of Lt. Col. Buba in Ngamdu, provided only bread and tea for breakfast on Mondays and Thursdays, rice for dinners, and white rice with stew for Tuesdays, Fridays, and Sundays, while the rest of the weekdays featured “concussion rice.”
These soldiers shared photographic evidence of their meals and lamented the non-payment of their allowances. In response to these reports, the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Taoreed Lagbaja, issued a statement through the Director of Army Public Relations, Brigadier General Onyema Nwachukwu. COAS ordered an immediate investigation into the soldiers’ claims, emphasizing that the well-being of troops under his command is a top priority.
However, a source informed SaharaReporters that Lt. Col. Buba ordered the detention of Corporal Okediran last Wednesday morning. As of Monday, the soldier’s brother disclosed that Okediran remained in detention for six days, despite COAS’s directive to investigate the reported poor conditions and food quality.
The brother expressed frustration, stating, “Instead of army officers carrying out the Chief of Army Staff’s order to probe poor meals served to troops, they are arresting and detaining those suspected to have leaked information to newsmen. They have arrested my brother, Private Sunday Okediran, in particular.”
The situation raises concerns about the treatment of soldiers who speak out about the challenges they face while serving their country.
| Sahara Reporters
