Nigerian Army Speaks on Soldiers Accused of Supplying Ammunition, Uniforms to Bandits

Two soldiers detained in Zamfara State for allegedly aiding banditry will be punished if found guilty, the Nigerian military said on Friday.   Defence Headquarters spokesperson Muhammad Yerima told PREMIUM TIMES that the military would not allow the actions of a few bad apples in its ranks to bring the institution into disrepute.

The state government, on the other hand, refused to provide information about the alleged incident at the time, claiming that it was waiting for military authorities to do so.   On Friday, there was yet another incident. Bello Matawalle, the state’s governor, has suspended Surajo Namakkah, the district head of Badarawa in the Shinkafi Emirate Council, for bestowing a traditional title on a military officer suspected of selling ammunition to bandits in the state.

Yusuf Idris, Mr Matawalle’s media aide, said the soldier was discovered with 20 rounds of 62mm live ammunition at the point of distribution to the criminals in a statement.

The suspect was said to be on the verge of handing over the ammunition to one Kabiru Bashiru, a resident of Maniya village in Shinkafi Emirate, and had allegedly received a N100,000 advance payment from bandits,” the official said.