From Molly Kilete, Abuja
The Nigerian Army has set up a General Court Martial(GCM), to try one of its officers, Brigadier General M.A. Sadiq, for alleged theft.
Sadiq, who until his trial was commander 3 Brigade Kano.
He was alleged to have diverted bags of rice meant for soldiers as palliatives, and selling properties belonging to the army .
Soome of the properties that he sold were: heavy duty generating sets;vehicles among other items to scrap yards.
It was gathered that the former commander, who has since been replaced, is being detained in a military facility in Abuja, where he is undergoing interrogation and further investigation.
Daily Sun gathered that the rice was part of Army Headquarters palliatives distributed to army units and formations across the country based on their nominal roll to alleviate the harsh economy faced by soldiers.
However, while the commanders of other units and formations have since complied and distributed rice to soldiers under them, the former commander was said to have shared only 5kg bags to soldiers in just one batch instead of three batches and allegedly sold the remaining to distributors.
He was also alleged to have stolen other equipment, including a MIKANO heavy-duty generator stationed at Falgore forest Military Training Camp in Kano and sold them to metal scrap dealers.
His illicit acts were said to have been uncovered by soldiers who reported the matter to authorities in Abuja, and the matter was immediately investigated.
During investigations, it was gathered that all the allegations leveled against the commander was found to the truth, prompting the military authorities to summon him to report to Abuja, and replaced him with Brigadier General A.M. Tukur, who until his redeployment was the Registrar, Nigerian Defence Academy.
Reacting to the report which has gone viral in the media, Director Army Public Relations Major General Onyema Nwachukwu, in a statement confirmed that the former commander is undergoing military investigation into administrative discrepancies while he was Commander 3 Brigade.
The statement reads:“The Nigerian Army has been inundated with media reports regarding the immediate past Commander 3 Brigade Kano, Brigadier General MA Sadiq, who is currently undergoing military investigation into administrative discrepancies while he was Commander 3 Brigade. Consequently, the senior officer has been relieved of command to ensure a thorough investigation.
“The Nigerian Army being a self-regulatory institution founded on the bedrock of discipline, justice, and accountability, has zero tolerance for indiscipline and will therefore not condone any form of misconduct or illicit actions and inactions that could undermine the threshold of its values and principles.
“The Nigerian Army assures both our internal and external publics that the allegations will be thoroughly investigated, and appropriate administrative action will be taken. Our commitment to upholding the highest standards of integrity and transparency remains unwavering.
“We guarantee that the process will be fair, impartial, and in line with our established procedures”.