Army Denies Running Only Islamic Schools, Says Story Meant to Push Religious Bigotry

Ikechukwu Aleke in Abuja

The Nigerian Army (NA), has denied alleged promotion of religious bigotry and prioritisation of Islamic religion in the service, dismissing the story as false.

Last week, a viral report alleged that the Nigerian Army only ran a School of Islamic Affairs, ignoring other faiths.

But denying the report, Director of Army Public Relations, Maj Gen Onyema Nwachukwu, in a statement, yesterday, described the report as not only fake but also making a futile effort to portray the Nigerian Army as exclusively encouraging religious bigotry among its personnel.

“The Nigerian Army has been notified of a misleading viral report suggesting that the NA only runs a School of Islamic Affairs, ignoring other faith.

“The viral report also made futile effort to portray the NA as exclusively encouraging religious bigotry among its personnel,” he said.

Nwachukwu noted that considering the gravity of this falsehood, the NA categorically stated that the propaganda in its entirety was dead on arrival as it clearly did not reflect the values of its esteemed institution.

According to him, the Nigerian Army as a secular organisation, upheld the principle of religious freedom for all its personnel and ensured that its personnel, irrespective of ranks, was free to practice their religions without any form of bias or endorsement of a specific religion.

“Our unwavering commitment to secularism guarantees that religious diversity is respected and accommodated, allowing soldiers to observe their faith without hindrance to their duties.

“For clarity, the NA operates multiple religious training institutions to cater to the diverse faiths of our personnel. In addition to the Nigerian Army School of Islamic Affairs located in NA Cantonment Ikeja, Lagos, the NA also has the Nigerian Army Protestant Training School in Yaba and the Nigerian Army Chaplain Catholic Training School in Ojo Cantonment.”

These schools, he said, frequently engage in interfaith collaborations, promoting unity and cohesion among diverse members.

He said the Nigerian Army’s dedication to secularism was aimed at fostering a professional and inclusive environment, where individuals could serve their country without fear of religious discrimination or bias.

This approach, he added, ensured that all  officers and soldiers could practice their beliefs in a supportive and respectful setting.

He said the NA remained steadfast in its commitment to upholding the values of secularism and religious freedom, ensuring that all personnel could serve with dignity and respect for their individual beliefs.