Army prepares dossier against member of presidential committee over his Boko Haram comments

NIGERIAN Army commanders are preparing a dossier against Presidential Committee on the North East Initiative (PCNI) member Dr Sidi Mohammed after he recently revealed the details of the welfare packages Boko Haram members enjoy.

In shocking revelation last week, Dr Mohammed revealed that Boko Haram fighters are paid a whopping $3,000 a day, which he said makes them more motivated to fight than Nigerian Army soldiers who only get paid N1,000 ($2.8) daily. Irked by the declaration, army commanders have urged Nigerians to discountenance the statement, adding that steps are being taken to formally report Dr Mohammed to the appropriate authorities to further substantiate these unfounded allegations.

Nigerian Army spokesman Col Sagir Musa, said: “In the report, he alleged that the criminal terrorist group members earn as much as $3,000 daily, as against the Nigerian soldier who is paid N1, 000 only. This is not true, as it is a pure lie and highly irresponsible comment coming from a supposedly knowledgeable person of his calibre.

“It is also criminal and preposterous to compare the gallant soldiers of our armed forces with the rag tag terrorists’ criminal gang. Indeed there is no such basis at all between the outlawed criminal terrorist who commits crime against humanity and our highly patriotic, courageous and brave soldiers whose sacrifice cannot be quantified."

He added that over time, the army had been alerting the world that the menace of Boko Haram terrorism was being aided and abetted by sympathisers such as Doctor Sidi Ali Mohammed. According to Col Musa, Dr Mohammed’s statement could be part of a deliberate attempt to demoralise patriotic troops serving their fatherland so that the terrorists can take advantage of it.

Col Musa added: “He must have been associated with the terrorists’ group beyond what he may want the public to know for having the knowledge of how much a terrorist earns per day to commit atrocities against fellow Nigerians and other innocent people including women and children. It is also a way of swaying the gullible youths to believe the lies of Boko Haram terrorists as being peddled by him."

However, Col Musa assured Nigerians that the army would remain resolute and focused in the fight against terrorism and insurgency, adding that no amount of distraction or terrorists’ propaganda will dissuade it. For now, it is not yet clear if Dr Mohammed will be arrested or questioned by security operatives.

Dr Mohammed has said that Boko Haram has been hijacked and operates like a cartel. he added that sometimes they pay their fighters  upfront to inspire them and this comes in handy when the sect wants to recruit youths.