Air Marshal Badeh: comment on ill-equipped military stirs reactions

Elders in Borno State have called on the Muhammadu Buhari government to establish a judicial commission of enquiry to investigate the claims of former Chief of Defence Staff, Air Vice Marshall Alex Badeh, that he was made to lead an ill-equipped military in the war against Boko Haram.

The elders said if the claims were verified to be true, they would be suing the former government of President Goodluck Jonathan for premeditated genocide against the people of the northeast Nigeria.

The elders said they were not pleased with the former CDS for keeping quiet on the fact that he was leading an army with faulty equipment to fight the Boko Haram terrorism which had consumed thousands of lives of both soldiers and civilians.

They said the same proposed judicial commission of enquiry should also quiz the former CDS on why he failed to blow the whistle at that time until many lives were lost and property worth millions of naira were equally destroyed.

The statement from the Borno Elders under the chairmanship of Ambassador Gaji Galtimari, had issued a 10- point demand that should be carried out by the federal government as a way of seeking redress for the victimised people of the northeast Nigeria.

“The Borno Elders Forum found Badeh’s comments very revealing, an eye opener, a precursor to judgement day and extremely disturbing”, said Galtimari.

“As Chief of Defence Staff under His Excellency, former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, GCFR, Alex Badeh was not just the most senior serving military man and head of all serving military men in Nigeria, he was also in the best position to know the state of affairs regarding the provision of military supplies and motivation of troops.

*Originally reported by Leadership newspaper