The general officer commanding (GOC), 7 Division, Nigerian Army, Major General Ahmadu Mohammed, yesterday escaped death by a whisker when a group of disgruntled soldiers turned their guns at his vehicle and opened fire.
The soldiers who perpetrated this near-act of mutiny, were reacting in anger over the ambush attack they suffered in the hands of Boko Haram members on their way back from a mission, which resulted in the death of 12 soldiers.
Some soldiers who shared the sentiments of the soldiers who carried out the shooting, said the victims and those that survived had pleaded with the GOC to pass the night in one of the villages so they may safely return to Maiduguri on Wednesday morning.
According to a source, the soldiers were not happy that their allowances were not paid as and when due and it was not sufficient for them, so they saw this as as a way to express their displeasure.
According to another source, the GOC had been removed over the incident.
The Defence Headquarters has said it will institute a military board of inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the conduct of soldiers who fired shots at the GOC.