The Nigerian Army Saturday announced the forced retirement of some senior officers in what appears to be a major shake up in the army to weed out corrupt personnel following their indictment in ongoing arms deal probe, dubious roles in the last general elections, as well as investigations into corrupt practices in the military by the present administration.
A statement signed by the acting director, Army Public Relations, Colonel Sani Kukasheka Usman said those retired for “service exigencies” include “Major Generals, Brigadier Generals, Colonels, Lieutenant Colonels and a Major.”
The statement obtained by THEWILL on Friday reads in part: “Those retired were mainly some Major Generals, Brigadier Generals, Colonels, Lieutenant Colonels and a Major. Their retirement was based on Service exigencies. It should be recalled that not too long ago some officers were investigated for being partisan during the 2015 General Elections.”
THEWILL checks identified some of the sacked officers as Major General F.O. Ali, former commander, Brigade of Guards, Major General Emmanuel Atewe; Major General M.Y. Ibrahim, Brigadier General L.M. Bell, former Aide de Camp (ADC) to late President Umaru Yar’Adua, Brigadier-General Mustapha Onoyiveta, Brigadier General A.S.H. Sa’ad, Brigadier General Mormoni Bashir and Brigadier General D. Abdulsalam.
The statement further said: “Similarly, the investigation by the Presidential Committee investigating Defence Contracts revealed a lot. Some officers have already been arraigned in court by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
“People should therefore not read this out of context. The military must remain apolitical and professional at all times. We must applaud and support this laudable and bold initiative by the government.”
Comments
Post a Comment