Army Demotes Major-General To Brigadier-General

A Military Special Court Martial on Thursday demoted Maj.-Gen. Ibrahim Sani, one time Chief of Transformation and Innovation Centre of the Nigerian Army, to a Brigadier-General.

President of the court, which sat at Mogadishu Cantonment, Asokoro, Abuja, AVM James Gbum, demoted Sani after he convicted him on a five-count charge bordering on cheating.

Sani had been standing trial in the court since 2015 after he was accused of dividing and allocating part of army land to himself.

Gbum also ordered the convict to return N23 million being the money he got after he sold the part of the army land to himself.

The court held that the convict fraudulently allocated to himself part of the land – 436 hectares, in Abuja and sold it.

The court president also held that Sani went beyond the mandate given to him by the army authorities which was “only to collect the Certificate of Occupancy (C of O)’’ from relevant FCT Agency.

He said that the convict divided the land into two and allocated one part to himself, using Pseudo Company in which he was the sole signatory.

Gbum said the convict sold portions of the land to different three people at N10 million, N7 million and N6 million, respectively.

The court, however, said that conviction and sentence was subject to the confirmation of the Army Council.

Counsel to Sani, Mr Paul Sule (SAN), said that he would appeal to the army council to quash the sentence.

By Wale Odunsi

Army Loses Four Soldiers To IED Explosion In Borno

The Army has confirmed that it lost an officer and three soldiers in Borno on Thursday when their patrol vehicle encountered IED buried on the road between Kangarwa and Alagarno village.

The Army Spokesman, Brig.-Gen. Sani Usman, confirmed the incident in a statement on Friday, while giving an update on troops’ clearance operations in the North-East between Tuesday and Thursday.

He said three other soldiers sustained various degrees of injuries, while the patrol vehicle was completely damaged.

Usman, however, said three suspected terrorists who planted the explosive and hid themselves had been fished out and neutralised.

The army spokesman added that apart from clearance operations, troops stationed at Banki in Borno rendered humanitarian assistance to over 887 Nigerian refugees who returned from Cameroon since Tuesday.

He said the troops, also on Thursday, handed over Miss Jada Hachaba, who was abducted by the terrorists to her mother at Gulak in Adamawa.

The army spokesman explained that Hachaba escaped from the terrorists’ captivity, adding that she was handed over in the presence of the District Head of Gulak.

At Buni Yadi in Yobe, Usman said that troops in the period under review discovered a 122mm D30 unexploded ordinance inside an uncompleted building at the Federal Low-Cost Housing Estate.

He said the Explosive Ordinance Team was drafted into the scene to safely detonated the explosive.

Usman said that based on credible information, troops arrested two suspected Boko Haram terrorists’ collaborators/informants; Abubakar Ahmed, 23 and Aji Maina, 45, on Wednesday.

“Both were arrested at Garin Gada and Kanamma after painstaking trailing.

“Abubakar Ahmed was arrested while trying to collect relief materials for onward conveyance to Boko Haram terrorists, while Aji Maina was arrested while on transit at Kanamma en route Gamari in Niger Republic,’’ he said.

Similarly, Usman said that vigilant elements of 8 Division Nigerian Army stationed at Kukawa in northern Borno intercepted two minors on Thursday.

He named them as Abubakar Aji, 13 and Isah Mustapha, 12, adding that they were on spying mission on troops’ location at Kukawa.

“On further interrogation, the minors claimed to have been with Boko Haram terrorists in Kangarawa since 2014,’’ he said.

(NAN)

Ramadan: Sultan Condemns NYSC Orientation Program, Calls For Postponement Of Army Recruitment

Jama’atu Nasril Islam, JNI, led by the Sultan of Sokoto, Abubakar Sa’ad, has condemned the decision of the National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, to continue with its orientation camps for youth corp members during the Ramadan fast.

JNI Secretary-General, Dr. Khalid Abubakar-Aliyu, in a statement, also called on the Nigerian Army to postpone its planned recruitment exercise until Muslims had concluded their fasting period.

JNI said that NYSC continuing the orientation program and the Nigerian Army conducting recruitment exercise during Ramadan would put Muslim faithful who were fasting at a disadvantage.

“This is because the prospective corps members would be at disadvantage to their faith and other camp activities. The council also calls on the authority of the Nigerian Army to postpone the intended recruitment exercise until after Ramadan to avoid putting prospective candidates at a disadvantage,” JNI said.

JNI called on the NYSC to honour a previous agreement entered by the two parties for camp activities to be placed on hold during Ramadan.

Sultan Abubakar III, had declared Saturday, May 27, as 1st Ramadan, 1438 AH.

By Wale Odunsi

Aregbesola Commends Buratai For Averting Coup In Nigeria

Osun State Governor, Rauf Aregbesola, on Tuesday stated that the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai, averted coup in Nigeria.

 

Aregbesola made the declaration at the Osun State House of Assembly in Osogbo, the state capital.

He urged the House to pass a resolution commending Buratai for his thorough professionalism and belief in the current democracy.

The governor also called for a probe into the coup allegation with a view to bringing any erring officer to book.

Recall that Buratai, last week, said he received information that some individuals were approaching some officers and soldiers for political reasons.

Brigadier General Sani Kukasheka Usman, Director Army Public Relations, said on the basis of that, Buratai “has warned such persons to desist from these acts”.

Aregbesola, however, canvassed for a change in the mode of legislative representation based on only geographical space to more modern criteria like occupation and professional categories.

His words: “I have also made the strident call for a political system and practice that is best suited for our clime, which will bring inclusion and amount to real political empowerment for all the people.

“I have, after our revered leaders, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Chief Bola Ige, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and others, all convinced federalist, argued that for a plural society like ours, true federal practice is a minimum condition of statehood.

“We are so diverse as a people that anything short of true federalism is an invitation to chaos.”

By Wale Odunsi