The Nigerian military has denied claims that officers who died in the course of the fight against insurgency have been discreetly buried in mass graves.
The Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh, and the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen Kenneth Minimah, denied the claim while fielding questions from journalists at a press briefing organised by the Minister of Defence, Lt. Gen Aliyu Gusau, on the 2015 Armed Forces Remembrance Day Celebration in Abuja on Tuesday.
He also explained that the dead soldiers are given full military burial rites with their next of kin in attendance.
However, the Minister of Defence, refused to comment on the state of the counter terrorism operations as well as the controversial seizure of cash from Nigerians in South Africa.
Lt. Gen. Gusau (rtd) said the Armed Forces Remembrance Day is an opportunity to appreciate the efforts of the Nigerian soldiers, who have paid the ultimate price for the nation.
The military hierarchy also promised to address the non-payment of pension arrears of retired military officers, who recently staged a protest in the nation’s capital over the non-payment of their outstanding pension.