Army denies holding anybody behind bars due of religious affiliation

Apparently, Adamu was jailed for spreading the gospel and converting from Islam to Christianity, according to a widely shared social media report.

Contrary to rumours, the soldier is being held for violating various articles of the Armed Forces Act, according to a statement released on Tuesday by Brigadier General Onyema Nwachukwu, director of Army Public Relations.

Contrary to rumours spreading on social media that a member of the Nigerian Army (NA), Lance Corporal Musa Adamu, is being held for converting to Christianity, the soldier is really being held for violating various rules of the Armed Forces Act, according to the statement.

“The report not only misrepresents the actual circumstances, but it also spreads a reprehensible lie about the Nigerian Army that is stained by religious intolerance. In all of its operations and management of its workforce, this professional organisation is guided by long-standing ethics and tradition.

This is in addition to the unbiased premium of place given to the spiritual growth and concern of staff members as well as the sensitivity it attaches to religious practises among staff, according to the statement.

He accused Adamu of evading capture and said that Adamu was posted to the 63 Brigade to take part in an ongoing operation.

To clear up any confusion, Lance Corporal Musa Adamu, a member of the Amphibious Training School who had been assigned to the 63 Brigade to take part in an ongoing operation, was discovered preaching in uniform on a social media platform, in violation of the current Social Media policy for the Nigerian Armed Forces.

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“He sent a request to the appropriate authorities as a result of this. He ran away for around six and a half months instead of showing up for the investigation. The soldier was thus given a status of AWOL (Absence Without Official Leave). The document further stated that the employee’s behaviour violated Sections 58(a)(b) Obstruction of Provost Officers and 59(a)(b) Absence Without Leave.

An army member gets labelled AWOL after missing their unit for seven days without a valid reason, he continued.

Every member of the service, according to Onyema, performs their duties as part of a Corps or Department that is staffed by qualified individuals who have been properly taught to carry out their tasks.

He claims that the Roman Catholic, Protestant, and Islamic issues Directorates of Chaplain Services are in charge of the Army’s religious issues.

In order to meet the spiritual needs of all NA soldiers, both in the theatres of operations and within the barracks, he claimed that staff of these directorates are required to lead all religious events.

The obvious question is why the NA would victimise the soldier if they had permitted the man to alter his religion. It is odd, though, that the soldier is said to have been imprisoned for his religious beliefs at a facility that supports spiritual well-being. This is true even though it is quite evident that he can switch to any of the Army’s chaplaincies by changing his Corps.

“The NA will be unafraid to say that it is governed by morals, customs, and military rules, which provide guidance to staff members regarding how to behave. Regardless of the offender’s faith, punishments are imposed for violating these principles and legal requirements.