By Olayemi Esan
The Nigerian Army on Wednesday has warned Nigerians to be wary of one dismissed Trooper Temple Ahunanya who is going round narrating a concocted story of how he was arrested, tried and sentenced to death for requesting better weapons to fight Boko Haram Insurgents.
Director Army Public Relations, Brig. Gen Onyema Nwachukwu in a statement said, considering the enormous danger posed by this dismissed soldier to the public, it is crucial to set the record straight and alert Nigerians to beware of his criminal antics, aimed at defrauding members of the general public.
Nwachukwu said, "though the Nigerian Army commended trooper Ahunanya for making an attempt to serve this great nation, for passing through the rigours of military training and the fog of war. It is however unfortunate that, despite these, he lacked the requisite qualities to progress with the profession, as he was a bad egg and a cancerous element that negatively infiltrated the ranks, corrupting the good conduct and morale of troops in the process".
Army spokesperson explained that, it is also important for the public to note that dismissed Trooper Ahunanya was enlisted in the Nigerian Army on the 20th of August 2012, and passed out from training on the 17th of December of same year.
"He was arrested in 2014, tried and dismissed for conduct prejudicial to military discipline and cowardice.
"He was convicted, but escaped while awaiting Army Council's approval of his verdict. This singular act portrays a tendency for evasion of justice and criminality".
Nwachukwu urged Nigerians to beware not to be misguided by his misconstrued narratives as a failure on the part of the military or the government, but a ploy to create and peddle falsehood in the media space to gain undeserved sympathy.
He revealed that, while in service, Ahunanya was rude, indisciplined, criminally minded and a very uncultured individual, who failed to imbibe the basic ethics and regimentation of the military profession.
"His unpatriotic and cowardly tendencies manifested when he was deployed for a mission to counter Boko Haram Terrorists' attack and save lives of innocent Nigerians, in so doing".
"However, against extant military laws, the dismissed soldier disobeyed and led other cowardly soldiers to disobey duly constituted authority. Ahunanya still displayed his criminal tendency in his video, as he disparaged the Nigerian Army to spike sympathy and whip up sentiment to lure unsuspecting members of the public to raise funds for his criminal activities by posting his bank account details along side his video. This is evidently an attempt to financially hoodwink members of the public. Please be warned"he warned.
EFFICACY OF WEAPONS
On the issues raised concerning efficacy of weapons and their effective ranges, Director Army Public Relations, Brig. Gen Onyema Nwachukwu said it is important to state that the Nigerian Army is an organized Army that conforms with the dictates of International Laws of Armed Conflict and institutionalized Order of Battle. Our troops are not terrorists or Insurgents who could use all manner of unlawful and unconventional arms.
"The Nigerian Army operates, following universally accepted doctrines and Order of Battle. Our troops are better trained, equipped and professional in the conduct of campaigns and operations.
Therefore, it is surprising that Ahunaya compared a group of misguided elements operating under the influence of drugs and twisted ideologies to Nigerian Army troops.
"It is also sad and unfortunate that a respected media organization would publish and promote such distorted narratives without recourse to the authorities of the Nigerian Army. These actions are undoubtedly, calculated attempts to denigrate the Nigerian Army and undermine the sacrifices of patriotic troops, who are working tirelessly to restore peace and stability across the country."
Nwachukwu pointed out, that while the military is very much receptive to constructive criticism, it should not be perceived as an opportunity for promoting demeaning and vilifying media contents that have the potential to embolden criminals and dampen troops’ morale.
"Suffice to reiterate that the psychological impact of misinformation and fake news are grievous and inimical to national security. Organised media are critical stakeholders in promoting national security and should therefore not allow unscrupulous elements take undue advantage of them", he explained.
The army again warned Nigerians not to fall for Afunaya's gimmicks, as it is an attempt to defraud innocent Nigerians.
