The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Army

  • Army partners Customs

    The Commander 9 Brigade of the Nigerian Army, Brigadier General A. M. Sabo, paid a courtesy visit to the Area Controller, Federal Operations Unit Zone ‘A’ of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) Turaki Adamu in his office.

    The Brigade Commander said his visit was informed by the desire of the Nigeria Army to further strengthen the relationship between the Army and Customs.

    He expressed satisfaction with the cordial relationship between the Military and the Customs, noting that such mutual understanding would further enhance mutual cooperation.

    He praised the Customs Management under the Comptroller-General of Customs for the reforms which had been carried out in the Service.

    Turaki thanked the Brigade Commander for the visit, adding that it would afford the two agencies the opportunity to further cement their relationship.

     

  • Army court martial clears officer

    Army court martial clears officer

    A general court martial holding at the 9 Brigade Officer’s Mess, Ikeja Cantonment has reportedly acquitted Brigade Commander of the 23 Armoured Brigade in Yola, Adamawa State, Colonel Victor Ebhaleme.

    The colonel was accused of failing to ensure that support weapons approved for units under his brigade were collected.

    He was arraigned on one  count charge of negligent performance of military duty under section 62b of the Armed Forces Act.

    A military source told Premium Times that available evidence in court showed that there was no such approval for the weapons.

    Colonel Ebhaleme was arraigned alongside 21 other officers, including a Brigadier-General, J.O Komolafe, on January 19.

    The investigating officer of the case against Ebhaleme told the court that the brigade commander was never indicted during the entire investigation.

    Following this, the colonel’s counsel, Femi Oyebanji, a retired Major, representing the Falana and Falana chambers, made a no case submission at the close of the prosecution.

    He said essential elements to prove the charge was not established, urging the court to discharge and acquit the officer.

    The General Court Martial headed by S.D. Aliyu, a Major General, upheld a no case submission and subsequently discharged and acquitted Ebhaleme.

    A different general court martial convened to try a Brigadier General, Enitan Ransome Kuti, and four other senior officers, blamed for the loss of Baga in Borno State, to Boko Haram insurgents in January, is expected to resume sitting Thursday.

    The court adjourned May 4 due to some issues raised during its inauguration.

    Mr. Ransome-Kuti, his Chief of Staff, Lieutenant Colonel G.A. Suru, and some other senior officers, were arrested for failing to repel Boko Haram attack on the headquarters of the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) in Baga.

    Ebhaleme is the first publicly known senior officer cleared by the military in its trial of hundreds of soldiers accused of misdeeds in the fight against Boko Haram.

  • Army imposes 24-hour curfew on Maiduguri

    Army imposes 24-hour curfew on Maiduguri

    A dusk to dawn curfew has been imposed on Maiduguri, the Borno State capital following Wednesday’s attempted attack by the Boko Haram insurgents on the city.
    The army described the decision as a measure to protecting lives and property in the city.
    The statement was signed by the Deputy Director Army Public Relation 7 Division Maiduguri Col. Tukur Gusau and made available to newsmen by, Gov. Shettima’s spokesman Isa Gusau called on the people to cooperate with security agencies, maintaining that the situation has been brought under control.
    The two paragraphs statement reads: “In view of the recent development within Maiduguri metropolis a 24hr curfew is hearby imposed in the city. This is done to protect lives and property of innocent and law abiding people of maiduguri.
    “The Nigeria Army wish to once again thank you for your continuous support and cooperation. The situation is firmly under control,” the statement reads.

  • Army hands over 275 rescued women, children to NEMA

    The 23 Armoured Brigade of the Nigerian Army based in Yola, Adamawa State, has handed over two hundred and seventy five(275) rescued women and children from the insurgents in Sambisa forest to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) for rehabilitation.

    In a statement by NEMA, the rescued women and children traumatized and malnourished by their ordeal were immediately taken to Malkohi IDP camp in Yola for profiling and were provided with food, mattresses, blankets, mosquito nets, soap and detergents.

    The Commander 23 Armoured Brigade, Col. Aba Popoola, handed over the 275 rescued women and children from Sambisa forest to NEMA for care and welfare.

    According to the statement, “Statistically, the rescued women and children comprised of 69 women, 14 girls, 26 male children aged 6-12years, 49 male children aged 5years, 48 female children aged 0-5years and 69 female aged 6-12years, while 21 injured people are on admission at the Federal Medical Centre, Yola.”

    Receiving the rescued people, the Director General of NEMA, Muhammad Sani Sidi, who was represented by Director Search and Rescue, Air Commodore Charles Otegbade, said the women and children need special attention.
    He said the agency had made all the necessary arrangements with relevant stakeholders for trauma counseling and other forms of assistance to enable them recover and return to normal life.

  • Army kills three insurgents

    Army kills three insurgents

    Men of the 301 Artillery Regiment (General Support) of the Army yesterday killed three Boko Haram insurgents and arrested one.

    An Army Captain, who declined identifying himself, said the insurgents took the fight to their men at a check point near Dukku, the headquarters of Dukku Local Government.

    He said the operation started about 00.30 hours and lasted for one hour.

    Among the items recovered from them were one army green Toyota Hilux van, three primed improvised explosive devices (IEDs), one FM rifle, three boxes of .50mm live ammunition, 150 rounds of .50mm live ammunitions and 70 empty shells of .50mm ammunition.

    Other items were a pair of mobile police uniform with Clement Ahmadu inscribed on it, two jerry cans of petrol, tyre patching materials, motor vehicle spare parts, one empty AK 47 magazine and two empty boxes of armour.

    Also recovered were one INEC smart card reader meant for Nafada Local Government, one empty INEC bag, three bags of rice and one pot of cooked rice.

    The Army officer urged people to remain calm.

    The insurgents on Saturday struck in parts of Gombe State, killing seven persons, including two INEC personnel and a policeman on election duty.

    Five of them were killed by the joint security operatives in Dukku after the insurgents torched a police formation in one of the villages.

     

  • Polls: Army vows to quell violence

    Polls: Army vows to quell violence

    THE authorities of the Nigerian Army have vowed to deal decisively with any group or individual that may attempt to disrupt voting process during Saturday’s presidential and National Assembly elections.

    The Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Kenneth Minimah, who spoke at a media briefing in Abuja yesterday, warned intending troublemakers not to test the will of the Nigerian Army.

    “Whoever threatens violence will get violence, whoever wants to cause violence will meet organised violence,” Minimah said.

    The Army described a statement by former President Olusegun Obasanjo over suspicion on possible handover of government to the military as “uncharitable to the military”.

    Acting Director of Army Public Relations, Col. Sani Usman, who spoke with reporters shortly before the Chief of Army Staff joined him at the briefing, took exceptions to the statement.

    Col. Usman said: “For anybody to say such thing, the person is being uncharitable. If there is any institution that protects democracy, it’s the military. The military has been in the vanguard of defending democracy”.

    Obasanjo had raised fears of possible hand over of government to the military, apparently in the aftermath of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) losing the presidential election.

    On court judgments restraining the Federal Government from deploying soldiers for the polls, Gen. Minimah said the military and other security agencies have already made adequate arrangements for security for the elections.

  • Election: Army deploys 300 soldiers in Kwara

    Ahead of next Saturday’s  elections, the military high command has deployed about 300 soldiers in Kwara state.
    Spokesperson 22 Armoured Brigade, Nigerian Army, Sobi  Lt. Weri Finikumor said the soldiers were deployed in Ilorin and the other local government areas of the state for the elections.
    Finikumor added that the soldiers would be there to maintain security and not to meddle with the conduct.
    He added that the soldiers would be 300 meters away from polling booths and would not be involve in any thing pertaining to election materials including ballot papers and boxes.
    Finikumor said the police are the ones to be involved in security around the polling units, adding that soldiers would intervene on invitation of the police if there is major security threat which the police cannot handle.

  • Army, DSS raid Boko Haram hideout in Kaduna

    Combined forces of the Nigerian Army, Department of State Security and plain-clothes policemen yesterday raided a building suspected to be a hideout of a Boko Haram commander, who is said to be on the run.

    The suspected Boko Haram chief and the occupants of the building are at large.

    Located on 4, Fulani Road, Ungwan Dosa in Kaduna North Local Government Area of Kaduna State, the building was said to have been leased out to Mallam Muhammed Mai Borno, who was said to have moved into the building with his wife.

    A neighbour, who preferred anonymity, said the man moved in after the rainy season.

    “When we asked after his children, he said they were in school in the Northeast. We discovered that he always travels. We never suspected anything until we started hearing gunshots in the night,” he said.

    Another neighbour, Usman Ahmed, said the security teams arrived about midnight and a few  minutes later, the area was cordoned off.

    When our correspondent visited, people were taking pictures of the bullet-ridden building.

    It was discovered that the owner was whisked away by security agents and the suspected Boko Haram member was said to have escaped.

    The Assistant Director, Public Relations Department, 1 Division, Col. Abdul Usman, said he was yet to be briefed on the matter.

  • Army Chief doubts election in liberated communities

    The Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Kenneth Minimah, on Tuesday expressed doubts about full return of governance structures in the liberated communities of the Northeast before next week’s presidential elections.

    He spoke with State House correspondents at the end of about six hours Security Council meeting convened by President Goodluck Jonathan at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    He however said that he was not in a position to speak on whether elections will hold in the area or would be postponed.

    According to him, the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Attahiru Jega, who was part of the meeting, would be the right person to decide on whether the elections will hold.

    He said that the council gave a vote of confidence on the military following the successful anti-terrorism operations in the Northeast and that only three local governments in Borno state are yet to be liberated from the control of Boko Haram.

    “You know Yobe and Adamawa states have been liberated completely and we look forward to the reinstatement of structures of government and governance.

    “I am also sure you know that in Borno state out of the 27 local government we have three local governments remaining, Abadam, Kalabaldi and Gwoza and we are optimistic that with time we will liberate those local governments.

    “I am not competent to speak on the elections. INEC is still there. INEC has to re-assess the situation and evaluate because the areas have been liberated.

    “But I can also tell you that not all structures of governance have been reinstated and they will need to be reinstated so that citizens can go back to their areas and it is then I think they can execute their rights as voters.”

    On whether the military operations could be concluded before March 28th, he said “It is our wish and we pray God gives that to us, but war is war. War sometimes is not fought on some platforms of permutations.”

    Speaking on Chibok girls, he said: “No news for now. In all the liberated areas we have, we have also made enquiries but the truth is when the terrorists are running away they also run with their families.

    “And those we have come in contact with have not made any comments suggesting that Chibok girls were there and taken away.

    “But we are optimistic that as the war gets closer, the territory is becoming elusive to them (terrorists) and we will get further details on that.” he stated

    Jega, who left the meeting hours before it ended after briefing the council on the preparedness for the polls, simply told journalists on his presentation to the meeting: “I believed it went very well.”

    He did not respond to further questions from State House correspondents.

  • Army puts Generals, 20 others on trial

    Army puts Generals, 20 others on trial

    AFTER three postponements, the Army has started the court martial of two generals and 20 other officers who allegedly refused to fight Boko Haram.

    Security was tight yesterday at the Officers Mess, 9th Brigade Headquarters, Ikeja Cantonment, venue of the court martial.

    Reporters, who stormed the venue upon getting information about the trial, were not allowed anywhere close to the area.

    The trial started in the morning and as at the time of filing this report (4:30p.m.), proceedings were still ongoing.

    The officers include two Brigadier-Generals, J.O. Komolafe and Ramsome-Kuti; 14 Colonels- A. Laguda, V. Ebhaleme, V.O. Ita, I.B. Maina, I.A Aboi, I.M Kabir, M.H. Abubakar, A. A. Egbejule, N.N. Orok, C.A. Magaji, A.O. Agwu, A.J.S. Gulani, O.O. Obolo and A.M. Adetuyi; one Major – M.M. Idris; five Captains – M. Adamu, O. A. Adenaike, M. Gidado, M.M. Clark and S. Raymond; as well as a Second Lieutenant, S.O. Olowa.

    They are the third batch of Army officers who have been accused of alleged treasonable offences (mutiny).

    The other two batches were condemned to death by firing squad by an Abuja Court Martial.

    It was learnt that Femi Falana (SAN), Tayo Oyetibo (SAN) and another senior lawyer were among the defence team for the officers.

    Falana, who left in the morning after realising his clients, Brigadier-Generals Ramsome-Kuti and Komolafe, were not brought before the panel yesterday, confirmed the court martial has started.

    He said the military authority had assured him that they would inform him when his clients’ case would come up.

    Asked to comment on the charges against the officers, Falana declined on the grounds that his client’s trial has not commenced.

    He said: “The military authority has told the world that they have just taken delivery of military equipment. I feel there is no need to put them on trial. That is why we congratulated them in the successes so far recorded.

    “This confirmed that as at the time they were arrested, there was no weapon to fight. But now that they have weapons, they should release the boys to go and join others to fight.”

    Yesterday’s court martial was the first time senior army officer would be put on trial for such offences as mutiny in the war against terrorists in Northeast.

    Army had in December condemned 54 soldiers after finding them guilty for conspiracy to commit mutiny and mutiny for disobeying direct order from superior officers to go to the battle front.

    The soldiers, however, said they only asked for support equipment before embarking on the operation.

    Their conviction is currently on appeal by their counsel, Falana.