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Tag: Army officers

  •  Defence Minister clarifies retirement of Army officers

     Defence Minister clarifies retirement of Army officers

    Minister of Defence Brig.-Gen. Mansur Dan-Ali has said the recent retirement of 38 Army officers is part of an ongoing reform in the Armed Forces, rather than a witch-hunt.

    The minister spoke when fielding questions from reporters after delivering a lecture titled “Defence Management: the Nigerian Experience’’ at the National Defence College, Abuja, on Monday.

    He urged Nigerians not to be misled by the false information about the retirement of the officers, adding that no innocent officer was retired unjustly.

    Dan-Ali said what culminated into retirement of the affected officers was a process of painstaking review and assessment of officers’ conduct in various tasks assigned to them at a particular time.

    The minister explained that the affected officers were indicted for offences ranging from professional misconduct to financial corruption.

    “What we did was to make sure that all those that were indicted in one way or the other for both professional corruption and monetary corruption, had the opportunity to defend themselves.

    “ What I mean by professional corruption is soldiers’ involvement in partisan politics; if you are partisan, then you are professionally corrupt; you will be asked to go; that was what happened.

    “Of course, they were given fair hearing; they were called by a board and they went and testified.

    “Don’t forget that in the military, there is no half way to doing things; the moment you are found wanting, you have to succumb and you will go.’’

    Dan-Ali said plans were under way to adopt and implement a reform policy that would reduce the country’s dependence on the military for duties that could be performed by the civil police.

    He said that the Ministries of Defence and Interior were collaborating, to ensure that police and other paramilitary organisations were empowered to contain many of Nigeria’s security challenges and depend less on the military.

    The minister said that the planned Defence reform would entrench professionalism and discipline in the armed forces.

    Similarly, a former Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Admiral Ola Ibrahim, noted that the achievements recorded by the military were products of good virtues instilled in officers and soldiers by its past leadership.

    Ibrahim, however, identified political interference and paucity of funds being responsible for the shortcomings of the previous military leadership.

    He said professionalism and improved support would be required for the military to fully actualise its defence objectives and duties to the nation.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that the Nigerian Army recently retired 38 senior officers over what it described as service exigencies. (NAN)

     

     

  • Group commends FG for sacking top army officers

    The decision by the Nigerian military authorities to sack senior officers  will assist in bringing sanity to the Military, a group under the aegis of Advocates of Social Justice for All (ASJA), has said.

    The Federal Government, on Saturday in a statement, announced the sack of 35 senior army officers.

    The statement said that the officers were shown the way out over allegation of partisanship and contract fraud.

    The group, in a statement issued in Abuja on Sunday by its President, Torkuma Asogo, praised the determination of the present leadership of the Nigerian Armed Forces for its commitment to transparency and desire to sanitize the military.

    The military, according to him, had taken a downward slide to the abyss of corruption.

    According to ASJA, the officers who were discharged for offences ranging from their roles in the 2015 general election, which was believed to be partisan, to involvement in defence contract scams, would serve as deterrent to other intending perpetrators thereby bringing back sanity to the Nigerian Army.

    The group commended the bravery and honesty of the panel headed by Major General Adeniyi Oyebade, the General Officer Commanding 1 Division Nigerian Army, which had 62 officers and over 100 soldiers, as well as 62 civilians, appear before the panel.

    Asogo , condemned the meddlesome of senior security chiefs in Nigeria into party affairs who he said has inadvertently polluted the security architecture with bad eggs.

    He said it was regrettable for such officers especially those established to be involved in partisan politics to be left to continue serving in the force, recommending that the military authorities take cue from the Department of State Services by pulling such bad eggs out completely.

    “It is unfortunate that the Nigerian Military allowed these officers to stay on and perfected their succession plans, unlike the Department of State Services that acted swiftly based on public opinion to weed the polluted eggs out, we still believe that the most appropriate thing to do is to commence legal procedure against them in a court of law,” he said.

  • Presidential panel indicts over 300 contractors, army officers

    The Presidential committee set up to probe contracts awarded by the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) from 2011 to 2015 has indicted more than 300 companies and prominent citizens

    Serving and retired officers of the armed forces were also indicted by the committee.

    According to a statement by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, over N7 Billion has been recovered from the indicted companies and individuals.

    Another N41 Billion is to be refunded by the indicted companies, while further investigation by the EFCC has been ordered to determine whether another N75 Billion should be recovered from some of the companies for unexecuted or partially executed contracts.

    The committee also established that one of the indicted companies, Societe D’Equipment International was overpaid to the tune of 7.9 Million Euros and $7.09 Million.

    The committee which is different from the one investigating the Defence Arms and Equipment Procurement, discovered that there was a total disregard of salient provisions of the Public Procurement Act in the award of contracts by ONSA.

    It also noted that several contractors were apparently over paid, while others were given full upfront payments contrary to their contract terms and agreements in force.

    The panel also uncovered evidence of payments to individuals and companies by ONSA without any contractual agreement or evidence of jobs executed.

    The committee further discovered that some companies failed to meet up their tax obligations for contracts executed.

  • 12 top military officers in trouble over N5bn polls cash

    12 top military officers in trouble over N5bn polls cash

    •Others quizzed over N5billion ‘election operation’ fund  

    The army segment of the $2.1billion arms slush funds    has landed 12 top army officers in trouble with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC)

    Three serving major generals, a retired major general, three brigadier generals, four colonels, and one lieutenant colonel are being interrogated by the anti-graft agency for their alleged involvement in the deal.

    They were referred to the EFCC by the army authorities following an internal probe.

    A security source familiar with the development branded it “a monumental fraud” last night.

    The source said that from the evidence already gathered, what transpired in the air force with the arms procurement fund might turn out to be a child’s play.

    “This is the most crucial aspect of the $2.1billion arms deals because the Nigerian Army was at the centre of the procurement. The case of the Nigerian Air Force might be a child’s play.”

    Commodore Salisu Yushau, a retired finance director of the Air Force and prosecution witness in a case of corruption against former Chief of Defence Staff and one time Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshall Alex Badeh told a Federal High Court in Abuja last Wednesday of how air force money was used to buy choice properties for Badeh’s sons and how the former Air Force Chief routinely mopped up salaries in excess of N500m monthly.

    Ex-National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki is facing a separate trial for alleged diversion of the $2.1 billion arms procurement fund.

    Sources said:”already, we have started interrogating the officers referred to the commission. At the appropriate time, we will release their names to the public.

    “Certainly, we will interact with two former Chiefs of Army Staff on the procurement process and inventory of arms and military hardware.”

    The Army had said those found guilty of fraud by the EFCC will be tried by a Military Court Martial.

    The Acting Director of Army Public Relations, Col. Sani Kukasheka Usman said in a terse statement that “However it should be noted that at the end of the commission’s investigations, those found culpable will be tried by a Military Court Martial.”

    Some retired and former military officers are also under investigation for allegedly diverting a N5billion vote earmarked for election operation.

    The fund was released by the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA).

    The illegal fund, which was drawn from the Central Bank of Nigeria, was allegedly used for personal service.

    Investigation by our correspondent revealed that the N5billion was illegally drawn for the Army from the CBN by ONSA.

    It was learnt another vote was budgeted for the Army in the 2015 budget for operations leading to duplication of funds.

    Some Army officers were said to have helped themselves to the N5billion cash since “operation funds” were regarded as “mere fluid budget.”

    A reliable source said: “Some top Army officers are under probe over N5billion election operation funds from ONSA. The funds were illegally drawn under curious overhead from CBN.

    “But preliminary findings have indicated that the cash was diverted to personal use. There is no record of disbursement and utilization.

    “Some of the affected officers have been invited to Abuja. If found guilty of mismanagement of funds and political indulgence, they might face severe sanctions including dismissal or retirement.”

    About N16.5billion was released to the Nigeria Police, Nigerian Air Force, Nigerian Army and ONSA for “logistic requirement for 2015 elections.”

    The breakdown is as follows: IGP General Election OPS Fund Account (N10billion); Nigerian Air Force OPS Account (N1billion); Nigerian Army Operations Account (N5billion) and ONSA (N500million).

  • Rape: Commission seeks probe of army officers

    Rape: Commission seeks probe of army officers

    The National Human Rights Commission has called on the Chief of Army Staff, Azubuike Ihejerika and the FCT Commissioner of Police, Adenrele Shinaba to investigate the alleged rape of some women in Abuja by men said to be in army uniform.

    The suspected rapist reportedly tagged the women “prostitute”, abducted them and later violated them.

    A statement issued in Abuja from the Public Affairs and Communication Department of the NHRC and signed by Fatimah Agwai Mohammad urged the FCT Commissioner of Police to update it with any action taken on the matter.

    This, the commission said will enable it take necessary action in line with its mandate.

    The statement said, “The NHRC monitored the report of the incident as aired by the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria, on January 14, 2013 in which it was reported that on the 20th, 21st and the 22nd of December last year, some women were allegedly abducted by men in army uniform in an unidentified black Hilux Van around Wuse 2, Abuja under the guise that they were prostitutes and taken to an unknown destination where they were beaten and raped.

    “Although the matter is said to be presently before the Federal Secretariat Police Station, the NHRC condemns in its entirety all forms of rights violation and it is ready to ensure that the rights of the victims are enforced.”