Armed Forces Remembrance Day: Families of slain Nigerian soldiers cry for help

Family members of Boko-Haram-slain soldiers have cried out to the government for help in order to survive as Nigeria marks 2020 Armed Forces Remembrance Day.

According to DailyTrust, the exit of these soldiers, who were breadwinners of their families, has brought difficulty to their widows, and family members.

As a result of their inability to keep up with survival after the demise of their loved ones, they have chosen to air their challenges with the hope that the government will come to their aid.

Sylverna Alawade, widow and mother of a 4-year-old daughter said her husband, Lance Corporal Shefiu Alawade, was declared ‘missing in action’ at Metele in Northern Borno in May 2019 and was later confirmed dead in battle.

“When he was leaving us for the front line, he left his ATM card with us to be withdrawing money. Unknown to us, he was bidding us a final farewell. However, when we did not see or hear from him a month after, I suddenly remembered that Metele had been attacked, and he could have been a victim. My fears were later confirmed,” she said.

She, however, lamented that her late husband’s entitlements have not been paid yet a year after his death.

“It has been hell with me and my daughter; I have been going through tough times. The army is yet to reach out to us. It is a painful thing that my husband defended the country but we are now suffering,” she lamented.

While appealing to the federal government to do something about her plight, Sylverna said: “Since he was declared missing in action more than a year ago, they should pay us the compensation because he spent six years in service before the incident happened. If they pay us the compensation we can use it to address some challenges we are facing now.”

Another widow, Ogechukwu, whose husband, Staff Sgt. Ibrahim Waziri died in combat against Boko Haram at Damboa in southern Borno on October 29, 2016, also opened up on her ordeal.

The mother of three said: “It has not been easy with us since we lost him but by the special grace of God, we have been managing. Only his gratuity has been paid which is what I have been using to do some business for the sustenance of the family. The military is sponsoring the education of the children.

“It has been very difficult living without my husband but we are managing,” she said.

Lance Cpl Oluwafunmilayo Ogunubi, widow of Cpl Idowu Emmanuel who died during the battle with insurgents at New Marte in northern Borno on January 8, 2017, who acknowledged that some of her late husband’s benefits have been paid, called on relevant authorities to do more.

“My husband’s burial expenses, gratuity, and insurance have been paid and that is what I have been using to run some business to train my children and sustain the family, but I don’t know anything about pension,” she said.

Timothy Olanrewaju who is a journalist said his elder brother, Samuel Olanrewaju, who left teaching to enlist in the Nigerian Army in 1997 was declared missing in action between Baga and Metele in March 2019.

“He was later confirmed to have been executed by Boko Haram. My brother was deployed to the theatre of Boko Haram war from the Nigerian Army Infantry Barracks, Owode-Yewa, Ogun State. In June 2019, I approached the army that video footage released by Boko Haram showed that he was executed by the insurgents.

“Before then, nobody from the army authorities ever told us that he was dead after his abduction alongside others by the insurgents in December 2018.

“Later, his wife called on the phone and told me that the army authorities had officially informed her that her husband had been killed in battle,” he said.

Olanrewaju also said they were shocked when they later found out that the bank account of his brother was blocked.

“His salary bank account was blocked in June 2019, few months after his death. An account opened by an individual is the property of the individual. This singular act has plunged Samuel’s family into a very precarious situation: no food for the family and no school fees for his two sons; and no support from the army, not even Operation Lafiya Dole Theatre Command where he served before his death; his, entitlements have not been paid and following up is a very long procedure.

“This has thrust a heavy responsibility on me,” he said.

Maintaining that the families of fallen heroes should not suffer, Olanrewaju said the reverse was the case with regards to his late brother as his family was suffering because of the long procedure of getting the entitlements paid.