A Nigerian soldier stationed in Maiduguri, Borno State who was recently arrested for expressing his frustration at being unable to visit his family due to the transport fare has been moved to the Military Special Investigation Bureau underground cell in Abuja, multiple sources told SaharaReporters.
According to the sources on Saturday, the soldier is currently being held and languishing in the SIB underground cell meant for Boko Haram terrorists in the nation’s capital.
The soldier had in a trending video lamented how he spent one year in the bush in Borno and was given a pass to visit his family but could not go because of his N50,000 salary.
He had said he was told at the motor park that the transport fare to his town was N35,000, meaning that the trip would cost him N70,000 to and fro.
Speaking in pidgin English, the soldier had said, “See wahala oo, the Nigerian Army gave me a pass as I spent one year in Maiduguri today, they gave me a pass to go and see my family.
“As I left the bush, I reached the park and they (transporters) told me that from here to my town is N35,000. I calculated it and going and coming back is N70,000 and N50,000 is my salary that I was paid this month.
“I don’t have any option again; I’m going back to the bush.”
A few days after the viral video, multiple sources told SaharaReporters that the soldier had been locked up in the “guardroom” after the video was considered embarrassing by the army authorities.
“Our colleague who complained about the transport fare more than his salary has been locked up in the guardroom,” one of the sources had said.
However, SaharaReporters gathered on Friday night that the affected soldier had been moved to the custody of the Nigerian Army Corps of Military Police in Abuja.
According to sources, the SIB of the corps is currently detaining him in its underground cell in Abuja.
“This very soldier who complained about the current situation and the transport fare from Maiduguri to go and see his parents and relatives has been moved to an underground cell in Abuja.
“His family members don’t even have access to him again. We were told that the Chief of Army Staff asked the Theatre commander to take the soldier either Abuja or Lagos for interrogation but he was later taken to SIB underground cell in Abuja.
“If I may ask again, what was his offence, someone complained about his salary, he is a human being like every other person. We are asking every international human right activists to help this soldier.”
Another soldier added, “SIB underground cell in Abuja is same place the Army authorities keep Boko Haram suspects. We want international human right organizations to be involved, if not, this innocent boy will suffer a lot.
“Our salaries are not longer a secret, private soldiers like him receive N50,000 as monthly payment, even the present Chief of Defence Staff said it before the Senate and House of Reps, so I don’t see the reason taking this soldier to SIB underground Abuja for interrogation.
“We are just serving the nation but most of us are not happy with the bad system on ground right now. If you check the military, most of these complains are about the Army, not the Navy or Air force.
“Our Army generals don’t want the truth, meanwhile, the real truth is out.”
