Africa-Press – Lesotho. Lesotho Defence Force (LDF) issued a stern warning against the clique of rogues who are allegedly robbing the members of the public under false pretence.
The warning is contained in a statement issued by the LDF on Monday this week. “It has come to the attention of the command that there is a clique of criminals who use the
barracks to undertake their criminal activities which violate the law,” reads the statement. The statement further says these criminal syndicates sell the designated army equipment under the
false pretence that they are members of the army and in the process defraud the community. It continues to report that some have been arrested and were handed over to the Police.
The LDF is further concerned that this is a recurring issue, further warning the perpetrators to cease committing these criminal activities. The statement says the
Commander of the LDF and Command will work hard to apprehend all those who will be on the wrong side of the law and that actions that will be taken will serve
as a deterrence so that they are made to respect all the security premises. “These criminals should remember that the army has right to protect and maintain its image against
everything that can soil [its image] and the Command is cognisant of the fact that they are human rights monitors, good governance and all other pillars of
the army within the democratic dispensation,” reads the statement in pertinent part. Although the army did not say what those acts are, the Command has appealed to the members of the
army who may feature in these acts to hand over the army uniform reminding them that they filled the application to join the army in their own accord and
uncompromised decorum. The statement further appealed to those who are “interested” in these unlawful acts to allow the legal procedure to unfold and afford the army a chance to work with those who
still respect Basotho and the LDF for the sake of peace, stability and success of the LDF. The Command has also urged the parents to reprimand their children, saying they will not be
challenged by cliques of criminals who are hell-bent to tarnish the LDF’s reputation and take advantage of the government services where the army has lent the helping hand in the delivery of services in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
