Army fumes over statement credited to Buhari’s appointee

The Nigeria Army has lambasted a member of the Presidential Committee on the Northeast, Sidi Ali Mohammed for saying that soldiers fighting Boko Haram terrorists earn N1,000 as daily allowance while the insurgents receive $3,000.

Mohammed who head the Humanitarian Assistance and Rehabilitation arm of the committee had spoken at the presentation of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Sub-Sahara Africa’s Economic Outlook Report in Abuja on Monday.

He said: “The Nigerian military for example, gets N1, 000 per day for being in the North East, at the war front, as an allowance; the same North-East, where if you are a member of Boko Haram, you get $3,000 per day as allowance. So it is lucrative. Sometimes, they even give you money upfront. So we must do something about the youth from where they are recruiting.”

But in a statement signed by Col. Sagir Musa, Army spokesman, on Wednesday, the Army lambasted Mohammed for the comparison, saying that the claim was meant to demoralise troops performing their constitutional duties to secure the country.

He added that the army authorities would ensure Mohammed is reported to the appropriate higher authorities for making that claim.

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“It is criminal and preposterous to compare the gallant soldiers of our Armed Forces with the ragtag terrorists’ criminal gang. Indeed, there is no such basis at all between the outlawed criminal terrorists who commit crime against humanity and our highly patriotic, courageous and brave soldiers whose sacrifice cannot be quantified.

“Over time, we have been alerting the world that the menace of Boko Haram terrorism is being aided and abetted by sympathisers’ such as Dr Sidi Ali Mohammed. He must have been associated with the terrorists’ group beyond what he may want the public to know for having the knowledge of how much a terrorist earns per day to commit atrocities against fellow Nigerians and other innocent people including women and children.

“His statement could be part of the deliberate attempt to demoralise the patriotic soldiers serving their fatherland so that the terrorists will take advantage of it. It is also a way of swaying the gullible youth to believe the lies of Boko Haram terrorists as being peddled by him.

 “Therefore, we are calling on all Nigerians to discountenance the statement credited to Doctor Sidi Ali Mohammed while we take necessary steps to formally report him to the appropriate authorities to further substantiate these unfounded allegations.

“We would like to assure the public that the Nigerian Army would remain resolute and focused in the fight against terrorism and insurgency in our great nation and no amount of distraction or terrorists’ propaganda will dissuade it,” the statement read.