ABUJA – Brig.-Gen. Olajide Laleye, Director of Army Public Relations, said the Army would ensure that discipline was enforced to make its operations functional.
Laleye said this at a media briefing in Abuja on Tuesday while responding to questions raised on the dismissal of soldiers recently by the Nigerian Army.
He said that the army had the mechanism to instill discipline and make its operations functional and that if it meant dismissing soldiers who had erred, it would do so.
“In the army, there are routine issues, there is promotion, there is retirement and there is dismissal. There is posting and these are routine issues.
“On two occasions that I had press briefings, I said that the army must do what it must do in terms of discipline, the army must ensure that disciplined is upheld in the army.
“If we agree that we want a functional army , any soldier who had run foul of the law and regulations that governs the army, will go through the procedure which is simple.
According to him, if an offence is committed, the next thing will be done, it will be investigated, in this case investigation was carried out and trial, after which pronouncement is made.
On the issue of Chadian soldiers seen in Baga, Laleye explained that the operation in Baga was a Multi -National Joint Task Force established in 1980.
He said that the Multi-National Joint Task Force had three main countries: Nigeria, Chad and Niger that provided troops and efforts were on to bring in Cameroon.
“Which means that in that general area, the troops that are to operate in the Multi-National Task Force are the Nigerian, Chadian and Nigerien Troops. So, I do not know what the controversy is all about,’’ Laleye said.
