THE military in any country is made up of members of the Armed forces, which include the Army, Navy and Airforce. Their traditionally assigned role, is the defense of their nation’s sovereignty and territorial integrity against external aggression.

FOR them to be able to carry out this onerous task, they have to be highly focused, disciplined, dedicated, professional, adequately motivated and above all, totally loyal.

FROM history, the Nigerian military has carved a niche for itself in terms of professionalism, competence, dedication and making discipline and obedience to constituted authority its hallmark.

TRACES of acts of indiscipline and uncomplimentary professional misconduct which have been noticed in some arms-bearing institutions like the police, customs, immigration and the likes, have been far from the military due to the high level of discipline which is imbued in officers and men, to the extent that the signs of rigidity and regimentally are very easily discernable.

BUT over the years, events have shown that the military, whose members used to enjoy the respect and adoration of all and sundry, now appear to be compromising on their professional calling and high level of discipline which they have been reputed for.

STORIES abound in Nigeria of how some military men, on assignment to maintain law and order in some troubled spots in the country, went about looting, raping innocent women and in some cases, under-aged girls and even pregnant women, harassing the innocent and law-abiding citizens, seizing peoples property and sometimes setting whole villages ablaze, engaging in acts of vandalism and thus deviating from displaying their professional competence and what is expected of them under such crisis situation.

VERY worrisome however are current reports of an extension of these acts of indiscipline and a derailment from professionalism, as soldiers now embark on street protests in demand for one entitlement or the other.

IF anything, this portends doom for the country’s military as both the internal and external security of the nation is under threat.

WE are referring to the recent acts of mutiny embarked upon by some 800 soldiers who publicity protested the non-payment of their allowances and compulsory saving, on their return from a peace- keeping mission in Liberia, and the subsequent arrest and trial of about 28 of them who were suspected to have spear-headed the protest.

IF anything, this act alone goes to show the degree of rot that has eaten so deep into the fabric of the Nigerian military, particularly the army, where those who went to risk their lives in a peace keeping mission in another man’s land, could be so maltreated and short-changed.

IT is a shame to learn that army officers who earn very fat salaries, could still go ahead to short-change junior officers of their allowances which obviously was the cause of the protest by the aggrieved soldiers.

WHILE it is our position that the action of the soldiers amounted to mutiny for which they should face the appropriate court-martial, we call on the federal government to get to the bottom of this case, and sanction those senior officers who tampered with the allowances of the protesting officers because a worker is entitled to his wages.

THE protesters however must be told that their action had very grave implications and capable of sending a very wrong signal on our combat readiness against any external attacks.

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