Nigerian Military arrests senior officers for inability to repel Boko Haram’s conquest of Baga

Hmmmm..na wa oooo....For failing to repel insurgents’ attack on the headquarters of the Multinational Joint Task Force, MNJTF, in Baga, Borno State despite the weapons in their arsenal, a Brigadier General, Enitan Ransome-Kuti, his Chief of Staff, Lieutenant Colonel G.A. Suru and some other senior officers have been arrested by the Nigerian military authorities.

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Ransome-Kuti, who commands the MNJTF, his Chief of Staff and the other senior officers were detained shortly after they arrived Maiduguri from Monguno where they and their troops took refuge after they were dislodged from Baga. The senior officers, who are currently being held at the officers’ mess of the 21 Armoured Brigade, Maiduguri, are being requested to account for the weapons lost to the insurgents.
Impeccable military sources, who told Premium Times about the officers’ arrest, said the military leadership is particularly angry and disappointed with Ransome-Kuti for his inability to lead his troop to counter the Boko Haram onslaught despite the high calibre weapons and ammunition made available to his formation.
The sources, who begged not to be named as they should not be speaking on the matter, revealed the identity of the other officers arrested as the Commanding Officers of the 134 and 174 Battalions – a Lieutenant Colonel Haruna and one Major Aliyu. The two battalions are under the MNJTF but were also dislodged from their locations during the offensive launched by Boko Haram fighters on January 3.
It was gathered that the substantive commanding officer of the 134 battalion whose name was given as Lieutenant Colonel Etang is already facing court-martial following a previous attack on his battalion on November 5, 2014.
When asked to react on the matter, Defense Spokesperson, Major General Chris Olukolade, declined to confirm or deny the arrests, stressing that it is not unusual for the military to hold officers accountable for the tasks assigned to them.
“Every officer who is given a mission must be made accountable for his performance, and that is not necessarily an indictment of the officer; at least until investigations are concluded,” he said.