Posted by From MOLLY KILETE, Abuja on
Five Senior Army officers and 10 other soldiers are to appear before a military court martial in Kaduna today for alleged involvement in illegal sale of arms and ammunition.
•General, 4 others also on trial for corrupt practices
Five Senior Army officers and 10 other soldiers are to appear before a military court martial in Kaduna today for alleged involvement in illegal sale of arms and ammunition.
The court martial set up by the Army high command to try some of its officers and soldiers involved in the illegal sale of arms and ammunition.
The accused officers to appear before the court martial set up by the Army high command, include, Colonels R.O.Yusuf, Gadgere, Lieutenant-Colonel Wesley as well as Majors M.K. Ahmed and A. S. Akubo. They were alleged to have connived with some soldiers, among them a sergeant, two corporals, six lance-corporals and one private to steal arms and ammunitions, equipment and other military accoutrements worth billions of naira in one of the ordinance depots in the country.
In the same vein, four Army officers, among them a Brigadier-General will also face trial in Abuja for alleged corrupt practices.
Standing trial in Abuja are Brigadier-General O.A.C. Ariahu, Colonel Ayo Olaniyan, Lieutenant Colonel J.O.Fakolujo, Major P.A. Janka and Warrant Officer Ado Mohammed.
The 11-member court martial team, set up to try officers and soldiers involved in gun running was according to Daily Sun investigation sworn in last Wednesday and has one Brigadier-General B.S. Usara, as the court president, while Colonel Adekagan, will serve as Judge Advocate. Also on the team, are two other Brigadier-Generals, five colonels, two waiting members also in the rank of colonels.
Similarly, Lieutenant-Colonel Shalangwa is to appear as the prosecuting counsel for the Army. Daily Sun gathered that the Judge Advocate, who is presently doing a Masters Degree in strategic studies at the University of Ibadan, was recalled by army authorities to take part in the court martial. It would be recalled that Col. Adekagan, was the Judge Advocate, in the case one involving Brigadier-General Abdullahi, over some missing money meant for peacekeeping operations at the Defence Head Quarters(DHQ).
The accused officers and soldiers, who were alleged to have been in the deadly deal for sometime now, have succeeded in selling arms and ammunition belonging to the Nigerian Army, to criminals from some neighbouring African countries, as well as militant groups in the Niger-Delta region.
Their illegal deal was, however, blown open, after General Luka Nyem Yusuf, took over office as the Chief of Army Staff(COAS), and got wind of the deadly deals and constituted an Arms and Ammunition Audit Committee to carry out a comprehensive survey and audit of Arms and Ammunition in the various formations and units of the Nigerian Army across the country.
The committee, apart from carrying out a comprehensive survey, was also expected to report on the state of storage, infrastructure, welfare, discipline and professionalism of all those in charge of arms and ammunitions.
The exercise, according to a statement signed by the Director of Army Public Relations, Colonel Solomon Giwa-Amu, as he then was, was to enable the Army assess the security of formations and units and warned commanders of the respective units to ensure that the exercise is properly carried out and that appropriate disciplinary action will be meted to those found negligent in the handling of such stores. Daily Sun gathered that while the team did not encounter much problems in virtually all the formations visited, the discovery it made at the ordinance depot in Kaduna, was alarming, when those in charge of the stores could not give an accurate account for nearly ten thousand General Purpose Machine Gun(GPMG), and over five thousand riffles and thousands of boxes of grenades and other ammunitions. It would be recalled that Sunday Sun had in November, reported the story of an Army Major involved in gunrunning after a whopping N200million was traced to his private account in one of the new generation bank. Major, Akubo, who belong to the Ordinance Corps, was immediately fingered as the prime suspect, following his flamboyant life-style in the barrack.
The officer, who was then on a peacekeeping mission, was immediately repatriated to face a board set up by the army authorities and headed by the former General Officer Commanding(GOC), 82 Division, Ibadan, General Saleh, to tell the board all he knew about the missing arms and ammunitions as well as the huge amount of money in his bank account.
Akubo's confession according to military sources, led to the arrest of other culprits involved in the dirty deals, while others are said to be on the run. However, the foreigners, from some neighboring countries that also took part in the purchase of the weapons may soon be arrested if the negotiations that is currently going on between the federal government and the government and security agencies of the countries are concluded.
While Gen. Ariahu, the most senior of the officers standing trial for corruption in Abuja alleged to have misappropriated over N2million, money meant for the renovation of the Nigeria Defence Academy(NDA) mess. Lt. Col. Fakulojo, was alleged to have been fraternizing with two of his female soldiers, one of whom was said to have been caught with him in his in tent, while on peacekeeping operations at NIBATT 9 AMIS(332AR).
He was also alleged to have been involved in the sale of foodstuffs and engaging in business contrary to Nigerian Army regulations while in mission area. Daily Sun gathered that Major Janka, was alleged to have falsely obtained an irrevocable power of attorney and deed of guarantor for some plots of land and sold to one doctor for the sum of N1.3million, and that he was able to return the sum of N500, 000 after the doctor reported the matter to army authorities.
Warrant officer Mohammed on his part was alleged to have sold a black BMW R80, escort motorcycle assigned to the Nigerian Army Finance Corps. When it was discovered that he had sold off the escort motorcycle, Mohammed was asked to produce the said machine, but he ended up returning an unserviceable green BMW R80 motorcycle, instead of the black BMW R80.