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EXCLUSIVE: Nigerian Air Force Detains Airman Since February For Comparing US Military Officers With West African Colleagues On Social Media

EXCLUSIVE: Nigerian Air Force Detains Airman Since February For Comparing US Military Officers With West African Colleagues On Social Media
March 29, 2024

A relation of Garba revealed that he had been locked up at an underground cell in Abuja since his arrest in February.

The Nigerian Air Force has detained one of its personnel over his TikTok videos.

 

SaharaReporters gathered that the personnel, CPL AI Garba was known for posting video content comparing how US military officers with their counterparts in West African countries.

 

A relation of Garba revealed that he had been locked up at an underground cell in Abuja since his arrest in February.

 

“It’s been over six weeks now that he has been in detention in Abuja. We were not granted access to him and he is medically unfit to be in detention because of his health record,” the family member told SaharaReporters.

 

In a signal dated February 13 seen by SaharaReporters, the Air Force accused Garba of violating the extant policy on the use of social media for the Armed Forces of Nigeria. This prompted his invitation for interrogation by relevant authorities.

 

This comes a few weeks after a Nigerian Army personnel stationed in Maiduguri, Borno State was arrested for expressing his frustration at being unable to visit his family due to the transport fare.

 

The soldier had in a trending video lamented how he spent one year in the bush in Borno and was given a pass to visit his family but could not go because his N50,000 salary could not take him to his destination and back.

 

He said he was told at the motor park that the transport fare to his town was N35,000, meaning that the trip would cost him N70,000 to and fro.

 

Speaking in pidgin English, the soldier said, "See wahala oo, the Nigerian Army gave me a pass as I spent one year in Maiduguri today, they gave me a pass to go and see my family.

 

"As I left the bush, I reached the park and they (transporters) told me that from here to my town is N35,000. I calculated it and going and coming back is N70,000 and N50,000 is my salary that I was paid this month.

 

“I don't have any option again; I'm going back to the bush.”

 

 

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Military