Wives of army personnel in Borno State have protested against the
movement of their husbands from Maiduguri barracks to an upgraded army
formation in the state. The women, who gathered at the 21 Armoured
Brigade (Giwa Barracks) in Maiduguri yesterday morning for the peaceful
demonstration, said the planned movement of their spouses and their
families from the barracks to troubled Bama town in central Borno would
not augur well for them, citing poor security network and lack of
adequate weapons at the newly upgraded barracks at Bama as reasons for
their unwillingness to move there.
“Bama barracks is not safe for us. We understand the duty and oath of
allegiance of our husbands as soldiers, but the authorities should also
understand that we’re human being. Bama will expose our children to
security challenges.
“Unfortunately, they don’t even have adequate weapons to do their job
well for now and there is no proper security at the Bama Barracks yet.
“We won’t forget the Boko Haram attack on Giwa Barracks last time in a
hurry and what they did in Bama. The authorities should please help
us,” one of the protesting women said.
They recalled the attack on Giwa barracks in early March, alleging
that some soldiers lost their lives during the attack because of poor
weapons.
They called on the authorities not to move the soldiers to Bama until
adequate facilities and security measures were put in place in the
area.
The movement of the troops, according to a military source, was part
of the military expansion of its presence in the state for effective
coordination of its counter-terrorism operations in the northeast
states, especially after the establishment of the 7 Division of the
Nigerian Army.
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