A group of 227 soldiers, allegedly dismissed by the military authorities, has staged a protest in Jos, the Plateau State capital.

The protesting soldiers yesterday stormed the NUJ secretariat in Jos with placards asking the GOC 3rd Armoured to prevail on President Goodluck Jonathan to intervene on their situation because, according to them, they were unjustly dismissed without any known offence and without the benefit of fair hearing.

Leader of the protesting soldiers, Sergeant Abiona Elisha, said, “We were dismissed this week Tuesday from the service of the Nigerian Army after sending us to go and suffer fighting insurgency in Adamawa, Yobe and Borno states.

He said, “All of a sudden, we were recalled to the barracks and made to face trial. Even in the trial, we were not given the chance to defend ourselves, they just took decision and dismissed us.

“We were not even told what were our offences during the so-called trial. We are surprised that we can be treated like this in our own country, we were sent to fight insurgencies without weapon; a lot of our colleagues were killed in the course of defending our fatherland; even those who are in the hospital treating injuries they sustain from battle field were also dismissed while still on hospital admission.

“The worst situation is that, families of our colleagues killed in Adamawa and Yobe are languishing in hunger as Nigerian Army refused to pay their entitlement.

So, we are calling on President Goodluck Jonathan and the Chief of Army Staff to intervene in our case and reinstate us.”

The Deputy Director of Army Public Relations Officer of the 3 Armored Division, Col. Texas Chukwu, however, denied knowledge of the dismissal of the soldiers.

He said, “I have no knowledge of the issue, I just came back from Maiduguri, I am not aware any soldier was dismissed.”

•Adapted from Saturday Mirror. Photo shows Chief of Army Staff, Maj.-Gen. Kenneth Minimah.

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