Right after the Nigerian Army decided to quietly bury the 105 soldiers believed to have died during last week’s fierce gun battle with Boko Haram elements at Gundun-bali axis of Borno, former Minister of Aviation, Olufemi Fani-Kayode, has criticised President Muhammadu Buhari for overseeing a “cover up.”
He also said authorizing the alleged “secret burial” was a smokescreen to deceive Nigerians in the battle against insurgency.
A THISDAY report had said the 105 soldiers were of the 157 Battalion that had been engaged in the ongoing counter insurgency war N/East.
A military source hinted that the dead bodies were brought to “Maiduguri Monday evening” for the burial ceremony adding that the military authorities, in an attempt to keep the news away from the public, had denied the soldiers were killed or missing.
Much earlier a journalist Nicholas Ibekwe had confirmed that 105 soldiers got missing last Wednesday, November 18, after a fierce battle with insurgents, however the Army’s spokesman Tukur Ismail Gusau insisted that despite the attack, the extremists “subsequently repelled by the gallant troops of the unit,”
He added that unit’s commanding officer remained in contact with his brigade commander.
However THISDAY’s source confirmed the burial of the 105 missing soldiers, explaining that the terrorists were able to capture a T-72 tank (Military battle tank) in the attack as well as several artillery weapons from the unit.
Reacting to the ugly incident, Fani-Kayode took to Twitter to air his grievances with Buhari, his Minister of Defence, Mansur Mohammed Dan Ali and the Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Yusuf Buratai for their complicity in the cover up which he described as “wickedness of the highest order.”
condemned Buhari for his propaganda tactics against Nigerian soldiers who have died in the heat of battle, advising Nigerians to be wary of the lies and falsehood being propagated by the Army.
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