Claims of Igam soldiers joining recruitment protest remains unverified

Claims that soldiers from Igam Barracks in Lae joined in to put up protest signs as remarks targeting the Defence Minister, Dr Billy Joseph and Prime Minister, James Marape on Wednesday (April 15th) hasn't been formally addressed or clarified by the relevant authorities.

Initially, the Igam Barracks Area Commander, Colonel Michael Percy Marai had refused to speak with NBC News, only stating that the issue is sensitive and is best handled only by the PNGDF Headquarters at Murray Barracks in Port Moresby.

NBC News understands that if the claims are true that soldiers from Igam Barracks were responsible for putting up the protest messages, they would be the only group to have done so in protest following the recent PNGDF recruitment process, apart from members of the PNGDF at Murray Barracks.

The messages, spray-painted on concrete surfaces and written on laplaps hung along a fence at a property in Lae top town included statements such as “Illegal land grabbing by Dr Billy Joseph” and calls for the Prime Minister to step down.

These messages have not yet received any official comment, as well as claims that they were put up by soldiers from Igam Barracks, mostly in civilian clothing as per videos circulating on social media.