The Nigerian Army has defied the interventions of the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice (AGF), Abubakar Malami, court orders and National Assembly (NASS) and sacked 16 generals.
They comprise 9 Major Generals and 7 Brigadier Generals who were “arbitrarily” sacked by the Nigerian Army in 2016. They have now been technically eased out of service.
Reports say the affected generals have reached their run out date this year and can no longer be reinstated into the military.
The affected military generals were among the 38 Army Officers compulsorily retired on the 9th of June 2016 for no justifiable reason.
Attempts by the AF to resolve the impasse between the affected Army Generals and the military authority proved abortive.
PRNigeria reports that the Army Council, then presided over by the trio of Mr Mohammed Mansur Dan Alli (then Minister of Defence), General AG Olonsakin (then Chief of Defence Staff) and Lt Gen T Y Buratai (the Chief of Army Staff) sat and announced the compulsory retirement of the 38 Army officers.
The affected officers ‘technically’ eased out of service while waiting for justice are Major Generals F. O. Alli, E.J. Atewe, I.N. Ijioma, L.C. Ilo, T.C. Ude, L. Wiwa, S.D. Aliyu, M.Y. Ibrahim and O. Ejemai.
The Brigadier Generals arere D. M. Onoyeiveta, A.S.O. Mormoni-Bashir, A.S.H Sa’ad, L.M. Bello, K.A. Essien, B. A. Fiboinumama and I. M. Lawson.
Meanwhile, three brigadier Generals: D. Abdusalam, A. I. Onibasa and G.O. Agachi can still be reinstated as they still have active years to serve.
The announcement of the compulsory retirement of the 38 officers was made via the media even before the affected officers were informed via text.
While announcing the compulsory retirement to the media, the Nigerian Army claimed that the 38 Army officers that were compulsorily retired have been investigated and found professionally corrupt in defence procurement and/or election-related offences in the 2015 General Elections.
But one of the sources familiar with the case stated that none of the 38 Army Officers that were compulsorily retired was ever investigated or court-martialed before their public compulsory retirement.
The source, a senior serving military personnel, who asked not to be named, said: “None of the affected officers was ever at any time before their public compulsory retirement queried, notified of any culpability, or subjected to any military police investigation and none was ever court-martialed – these are the mandatory disciplinary process in the military as recognized by law!
“The Army records will show that none of the 38 Army Officers that were compulsorily retired was ever charged with any infraction in accordance with expressed procedures in Armed Forces Act CAP A20 The Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004.”
Another source said that after their public retirement, many of the victimized officers wrote to the Army leadership under Lieutenant General Buratai, asking to be furnished with facts that constitute any alleged offense as stated in their respective letters of compulsory retirement, but regrettably, the Army failed to respond to this simple request over 5 years now.
“Some of the affected officers also sent letters of redress to both the Senate and the House of Representatives on the victimization of the 38 Army officers. The Nigerian Congress through their respective Public Petition Committees investigated the matter and were shocked that the Army could not provide any allegation of wrongdoing against the officers whose careers were publicly cut short.
“After their respective investigations of the matter, both Houses had admonished the Nigerian Army over arbitrary disengagement of officers without any wrongdoing and due process and warned that such abuse of office would discourage serving officers and soldiers from giving their full commitment to the service of the nation. Both chambers of the National Assembly further recommended the immediate reinstatement of the affected officers.
“The resolutions were duly forwarded to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and the Chief of Army Staff, but these resolutions of Congress have been completely ignored which indicates a deliberate pattern of abuse against these innocent officers,” he told PRNigeria.
It was gathered that after the refusal of the Nigerian army to reinstate the officers based on the resolutions of the National Assembly and court orders, Malami, through the Solicitor General of the Federation and Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Justice, wrote letters and reminders to the military authorities in October 2019, November 2020 and even in February 2021 seeking clarification “over grave acts of injustice and unlawful compulsory retirement from service Senior Officers.”
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