Nigeria Military Commander Commits Suicide

A former Battalion Commanding Officer who led the fight against Boko Haram in the North East, Major UJ Undianyede, is said to have committed suicide.

DailyTrust reports that Undianyede killed himself less than 72 hours to the verdict of a court-martial trying him for alleged military infractions during the war.

The Major is said to have killed himself on the premises of the Nigeria Defence Academy (NDA) in Kaduna, with his service pistol on Monday evening, May 17.

“I think he killed himself because of the judgment of the court-martial which has been fixed for tomorrow (today, May 19). We only learnt about his death today (Wednesday).

“In prosecuting the war, the Major with some of his colleagues allegedly committed some infractions for which he was being tried at the 1 Division in Kaduna” a source said

The deceased officer was being tried for misappropriation of funds, abandonment of military post, insubordination, and desertion, among others.

Another source attributed the Major’s death to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), noting that he had been in the North East for some time battling Boko Haram terrorists.

The Major, a Course 55 Regular Officer, and other members of his class, were said to be due for promotion to the rank Lieutenant Colonel this September.

The Public Relations Officer of the NDA, Major Bashir Jajira, has however denied claim that the officer committed suicide.

“No personnel of the academy was involved in suicide as reported, and in fact, our cadets are presently in Kachia for combat shooting training, they are not in the academy. So, no such training took place.”Jajira said

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