A viral video featuring a dismissed military personnel suggests that he was arrested and dismissed from the force for “spreading the gospel of God’s kingdom” on social media after converting to Christianity from Islam. While the discharged soldier indeed preached while in military uniform on social media, his dismissal did not stem from his religious conversion or specifically his Christian preaching.
Instead, he was made to face the consequences for violating the existing Social Media policy for the Nigerian Armed Forces, which prohibits preaching while in uniform on social media platforms. Subsequently, he was declared Absence Without Official Leave (AWOL) after being absent from duty for an extended period, leading to his dismissal on disciplinary grounds for his conduct as a soldier.
An investigation by The Explainer fact checker revealed an official statement from the Nigeria Army signed by Brigadier General Onyema Nwachukwu, the Director of Army Public Relations. In the July 2023 statement, it was clarified that Lance Corporal Musa Adamu, the soldier in question, breached the Social Media policy by preaching in uniform on a social media platform.
When invited for an inquiry by relevant authorities, Adamu did not cooperate, instead choose to go AWOL for approximately six and a half months. Consequently, he was declared AWOL, and his expulsion from the Nigerian army resulted from his violation of Section 58 (a) (b) (Obstruction of Provost Officers) and Section 59 (a)(b) (Absence Without Leave) of military regulations.
Importantly, the statement emphasized that Adamu’s dismissal was not linked to his religious beliefs, but rather rooted in disciplinary charges related to his actions as a soldier.
Therefore, the assertion that the soldier was apprehended and dismissed exclusively for preaching the gospel and converting to Christianity is not supported by the official statement.
