Army to switch troops in troubled Niger delta

The Nigerian army has decided to bring in new troops from outside the troubled Niger Delta to patrol the area after evidence of bias by soldiers now there, a top official has said.

Army Chief of Staff Major-General Victor Malu told a gathering of army officers on Tuesday in the eastern town of Enugu that units serving in the region were “made up of indigenes who have become part of the problem”.

It is “most unacceptable to the Nigerian army for its personnel to show loyalty to local communities,” he said, adding that the troops now deployed in the region would be withdrawn and replaced by soldiers from outside the area.