The 250 soldiers who were dismissed from Nigerian Army School of Infantry for lateness to training parade, have pleaded with the army authorities and President Muhammed Buhari to reinstate them back into the Army.
The soldiers who stormed Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, Secretariat in Kaduna Tuesday to protest their alleged unlawful dismissal from the Army, said if reinstated they were ready to go back to confront the Boko Haram insurgents in the North-East.
One of the soldiers who spoke under anonymity, said they were among the 3,000 soldiers that were dismissed by the Nigerian Army last year for various offences in the North-east while fighting the insurgents.
According to him, coming to the NUJ Secretariat was to let the public, especially President Muhammadu Buhari and military authorities, to come to their rescue.
“We are young and ready to serve our country, we are ready to serve NA. We have family to cater for. We want to be pardoned.
“Let them hear, let them hear that after we were brought back from the North-east, we have received three months intensive training and for us to now be dismissed because we came late at the last parade, it sounds somehow,” he stated.
While admitting that going late for training is an offence in the army, he said it was not deliberate.
Another dismissed soldier in a chat with journalists said, “I have spent over 20 years in the Army. I have also served in the North-east before we were brought back to Jaji and now you are asking us to go when we have dependants to cater for.”
