An Acting General Officer Commanding, GOC, has been appointed for the 7 Division of the Nigerian Army, Maiduguri, Borno State. He is Brigadier General M. Y. Ibrahim.
Ibrahim takes over from Major General Ahmed Mohammed who was removed from his position, after being attacked by soldiers under his command in Maiduguri Thursday.
This was even as more facts have emerged on why soldiers attacked their former GOC, Maj. Gen. Mohammed.
Director Of Defence Information, DDI, Major General Chris Olukolade, Chief Of Staff, 7 Division, Brig.-Gen. Enobong Udoh and Deputy Director, Army Public Relations, Col. Mohammed Dole, had confirmed the removal of Mohammed during a news conference on the attack of GOC. 7 Division.
The DDI, General Olukolade, at the briefing in Maiduguri said: “The GOC has been redeployed based on the decision of the headquarters.”
It was said that the soldiers who attacked Mohammed were grieving over the heavy casualty recorded in the last few days following two incidences of ambush. Those who lost their lives included a Lt Colonel, a Captain and a Leitunant. The first set of soldiers were ambushed at Ganda Musa while the second group encountered theirs at Dalwa area, while returning from Chibok.
Those who were ambushed at Dalwa had sought the approval of the former GOC for them to pass the night in a friendly village following security reports that the route back to their division was unsafe at night but Mohammed reportedly insisted that they should return to the headquarters same night.
According to sources, it was in an attempt to obey the order that the soldiers soldiers were ambushed, with only few of them reportedly surviving the attack.
The officer (names withheld) was said to have done his traditional marriage and was waiting for church wedding before the tragedy befell him. Among others reportedly killed include a lietunant colonel, a captain and at leitunant.
Military sources also told Saturday Vanguard that earlier, before the latest attack, troops from same Divison had suffered another agonising incident when they lost another set of officers following alleged insensitivity of their Brigade Commander (names withheld).
The said Brigade Commander reportedly ordered the Commanding Officer, CO, in the area to carry out an operation at Ganda Musa, despite objections from the CO that the ill-fated operation required several days of planning.
It was said that the operation later turned disastrous as the soldiers invaded the forest at Ganda Musa without seeing any of the insurgents.
However, on their way back to Adamawa State where they were based, the insurgents reportedly waylaid the troops, inflicting heavy casualties on them.
Saturday Vanguard learnt that some of the survivors later returned to their base in Adamawa, after three days in the bush, while many of them were still to be accounted for.
According to sources, the mutineers were reportedly said to have resolved to attack the former GOC, based on the heavy but aviodable casualties the troops suffered in the two separate operations. Anger fueled their action.
Reacting to the story on telephone yesterday, Maj. General Olukolade said, ‘’I do not know of it. You should be wary of this type of information. It is the duty of a courageous Commander to say his troops should get moving even if they are dying…’’
Source: Vanguard
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