Worried by the disturbing rate of soldiers killing themselves and their colleagues, the Nigerian military authorities have deployed new strategies to mitigate the ugly development, investigations byTh
e Defence Headquarters has, therefore, commenced the deployment of psychologists to the battleground in a bid to reduce the suicides and murders among the troops fighting against Boko Haram in the North-East.
For example, the country was thrown into a deep shock on February 26 when a Corporal attached to the Army Super Camp 15 at Malam Fatori in Borno State went berserk and opened fire on his colleagues, killing four of them before shooting himself. After inflicting varying degrees of injury on them in the room, he came outside and stabbed his neighbour, Mrs Iyabo Olukunle, a nursing mother, several times till she died on the spot.
The Director, Defence Information, Brig Gen Onyema Nwachukwu, said the PCU was established following challenges being faced by soldiers. The PCU has the responsibility of deploying mental health experts to manage anxiety, depression, trauma and suicidal tendencies among the troops, particularly those battling insurgency.
“The second step being taken by the DHQ is to ensure daily ward rounds for troops on admission in hospitals as some of them have even lost their body parts. Don’t forget that despite their training, soldiers are first of all human beings. We believe that on account of what some of them have gone through, they are now subject to depression and when you are depressed, anything can happen.
“It could also manifest in the form of suicidal ideation and behaviour. Sadly, these are the physiological side effects of war. That is why military psychologists now conduct daily ward rounds for troops on admission to prevent suicide and other erratic behaviours. Ninyo, 93NA/36/2608, reportedly killed the Captain identified only as Mani and others, after a heated argument at a military checkpoint in Chibok.
A military officer told one of our correspondents on condition of anonymity that overstaying on the battlefront for soldiers could be counterproductive. But a top army source said there had been no time frame for the rotation of the troops fighting against Boko Haram in the North-East. “Yes, a long stay can lead to trauma and can cause mental tendencies among troops, but if you allow for rotation, the insurgents may start winning because we also need a lot of experienced troops to win this war.”
“Therefore, I think this is one of those things that Nigerian Army should be able to fully institute or institutionalise if it’s not yet in place so that they can be assessing soldiers at the war front because it has a lot of psychological and emotional impact on them.”
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