by Stanley Azuakola

Henceforth, indiscipline by soldiers during foreign mission assignments would not be condoned. That is the position of the Nigerian Army top hierarchy as revealed by Maj. Gen. Garba Wahab, the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 1 Division, Kaduna. Maj. Gen. Wahab said this during the graduation ceremony of 26 Battalion pre-deployment training course 1 at the Nigerian Army Peacekeeping Centre, Jaji on Sunday.

He said 62 soldiers were recently repatriated from Sudan as a result of acts of indiscipline and warned the graduating soldiers to avoid  such acts during mission assignments.

The GOC said the repatriated soldiers are being investigated and would be severely punished if found culpable. In the past peacekeepers have been seen as disreputable, often times engaging prostitutes and are often accused of rape. More recently many countries and the UN have taken pains to clean up their act and to discipline wayward soldiers.

Wahab advised the graduating set to be resolute, focused and highly professional in the discharge of their duties as their “success in the mission area will justify resources and time spent on training.”

This may cause a rise in tension as earlier this year, Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant-General Azubike Ihejirika and Nigerian peacekeepers in the war-torn country were denied visas into the war-torn state, due to unfriendly relations with the Sudanese government.