Soldiers not served substandard meals in Yobe – Nigerian Army reacts to viral video

The Nigerian Army has reacted to a viral video alleging that soldiers of 159 Battalion in Kanama, Geidam Local Government Area of Yobe State are being poorly fed.

In the video, a man displayed the small portion of semo he received, lamenting that soldiers in Kanama were being fed substandard meals.

Major General Onyema Nwachukwu, Director of Army Public Relations, in a statement on Thursday, August 1, 2024, said the video was recorded by a police officer stationed with the troops, adding that no soldier in Kanana is poorly fed. 

“Sequel to the viral video, the Chief of Army Staff Lieutenant General Taoreed Lagbaja ordered an investigation headed by the Commander Sector 2 Operation HADIN KAI to ascertain the veracity of the claim with a view to address any problem of poor feeding in the unit,” the statement read.

“Following the findings of the investigation, it is crucial to clarify that the video in question was not created by soldiers of 159 Battalion, but was rather recorded by a police officer stationed with the troops deployed in Geidam. Contrary to the claim made in the video, no personnel in that location was served substandard meal as shown in the video

“Preliminary investigation has also revealed that the police officer who recorded and shared the video did so with an ulterior motive yet to be uncovered by the investigation. It is anticipated to be unraveled during further investigation.