The affected soldiers reportedly resigned owing to corruption in the Army, according to a report published on Wednesday by an online publication (not DNTWOK).

To the contrary, the Army claimed in a statement released on Thursday by its spokesperson, Brig.-Gen. Onyema Nwachukwu, that all 25 soldiers who resigned did so willingly and in accordance with the law, in contrast to social media reports that suggested this was the case.

The statement by Nwachukwu argued that the online publication was targeted at dampening “the morale and fighting will of the loyal, dedicated and patriotic troops of the Nigerian Army, engender disaffection in the ranks and ultimately put the nascent Nigerian government and nation in a panic mode.”

The Army spokesperson stressed that personnel have the right to apply for discharge voluntarily or on medical grounds as stipulated in their terms of service.

He added that “Evidently, the medium and its owners need to be schooled to understand that the NA is not a conscript Army and that recruitment into the Nigerian Army is voluntary, with extant policies on discharge and retirement of soldiers and officers respectively, like other organizations.

“This provides its personnel the opportunity to apply for voluntary discharge or retirement when they deem fit and meet the terms and conditions stipulated in the Harmonized Terms and Conditions of Service Soldiers/Ratings/Airmen (Revised) 2017. It is thus, the inalienable right of personnel to voluntarily or on medical grounds apply for discharge.

“Therefore, It is not an aberration for the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) to approve the voluntary discharge of soldiers, who willingly applied and satisfy the terms for discharge from the NA, contrary to the mischievous manipulation of the occurrence by the media in question.”

“Army has continuously strived to provide a supportive and conducive work environment and conditions for its personnel, which it said was evident in the Army’s continuous efforts to improve its operational capabilities, including the injection of equipment into the theaters of operations, prompt payment of operational allowances, treatment of wounded-in-action soldiers and including medical evacuation overseas, and provision of decent accommodation for its troops.

“Suffice to state, that the Nigerian Army under the leadership of Lt Gen Taoreed Lagbaja remains committed to upholding the highest standards of integrity, probity, and professionalism by providing exemplary and pragmatic leadership, sound Administration, that will continue to boldly guarantee the welfare and motivation of NA personnel, as well as provide requisite enablers for operational effectiveness, while maintaining public trust.”