… Give Our Men Quality Fighting Equipments or No One Leaves for Gwoza ― Protesters
For the second day in a row, wives and children of soldiers at the Giwa Barracks have maintained a barricade at the entrance of the barracks, preventing the soldiers from leaving for assignments at Gwoza.
Gwoza is one of the hottest spots of Boko Haram activities; it is currently under the control of the terror group. The town has been repeatedly attacked and many lives of civilians and military men have been lost in encounters with the Islamic extremist group in the town.
Two attempts by the Nigerian Army to retake the town from Boko Haram have been futile. On 30th May, the Emir of Gwoza, Idrissa Timta, was killed after he was abducted with his colleague, the Emir of Uba, Ismaila Mamza, by armed men, in Hawul LGA. His convoy was ambushed while he was on the way to attend the funeral of his deceased colleague, the Emir of Gombe, Alhaji Shehu Abubakar.
Giwa Barracks is the base of the 21 Armoured Brigade of the Nigerian army.
The protesters are demanding that their husbands and fathers, who are soldiers being drafted to the terror hotspot be equipped with quality fighting materials before they step out of the barracks.
The stand down began on Sunday and by Monday morning; the protesters have not shifted grounds except for a very short break in the dead of the night. They stood at the gate all through the day, preventing vehicular movements to and from the barracks.
As a result of the stand down, the order for reinforcement at Gwoza has reportedly been reversed, the authorities not willing to hurt the protesters.
Observers report that military men resident in the barracks were only allowed to come in or go out if they were neither riding in a vehicle nor holding a rifle. It appears that many of the men appreciate the protest, because some of them who spoke with our reporters confirmed that they were lacking quality equipments needed in the fight against the insurgents at Gwoza.
