A former Minister of Aviation and Peoples Democratic Party chieftain, Femi Fani-Kayode, has said police officers absconded from their counter-insurgency training exercise in the northeast because 91 per cent were Christian and 88 per cent were southerners.
The ex-minister said this on Twitter yesterday.
He wrote,
“Out of the 167 “runaway policemen” that were assigned to fight Boko Haram, 91 per cent were Christian and 88 per cent were southerners. Can you blame them for running?
“No matter how many Christmas carols he sings, Buhari’s ethnic and religious agenda is becoming more obvious by the day,” he added.
On his part, the Senator representing Bayelsa East constituency in the National Assembly, Ben Murray-Bruce, has said the policemen fled the camp because they were demotivated.
Murray-Bruce, who also took to Twitter to share his views on the matter, said Federal Government have a penchant for neglecting the families of heroes who lost their lives battling terrorists in the region.
He cited the recent funeral of troops who died in Metele fighting Boko Haram as an instance, saying neither the President nor his representative was present as they were laid to rest.
He tweeted:
“Why won’t the policemen run? If they die what will happen to their wives and children?
“Look at how we buried the hero soldiers who died at Metele. The President did not attend. He was not represented. Those policemen were watching. Are they fools? Do they want the same treatment?”
Meanwhile, the Nigerian military has denied the policemen absconded from their counter-insurgency military training exercise, insisting that they only left their base to celebrate Christmas with their families
Brigadier-General A. S. Ishaq, the Coordinator Nigeria Police Force for Operation Lafiya-Dole (NPFOLD), in a chat with PRNigeria, said it was simply a case of recalcitrant personnel leaving their training base for a reason which was not cogent.
