Nigerian soldiers protest deployment in Maiduguri, shut down airport

On Sunday 12th of August, soldiers of the Nigerian Army protested against their deployment to a Local Government Area (LGA) in Northern Borno State.

The soldiers were unhappy with the news of the latest posting and they reacted by firing gunshots in the air at the Maiduguri International Airport in the state capital.

Previously, the Chief of Army Staff Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai had directed that no soldier should be kept longer than three years in the North East region of the country. However, the directive wasn’t followed when new postings came out and the soldiers were retained in that area.

The soldiers decried the lack of care and how many of their colleagues have been killed by the Boko Haram insurgency which led them to protest until their voices were heard, seizing the airport and demanding to be addressed.

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By this morning, however, the military brass has addressed the agitating soldiers and has again promised to review the deployments. Calm has since been restored to the city.