38 Army Officers Lament Compulsory Retirement, Seek Reinstatement

About 38 senior officers of the Nigerian Army wednesday rejected
the decision of the Army Council to compulsorily retire them from
the service, thereby asking the Acting President, Prof. Yemi
Osinbajo, of authorise the immediate reinstatement of all the
affected officers.

The officers, also, asked the acting president to authorise an
impartial investigation into the allegations they brought against
the army and an independent review of the Army Council’s
decision.

The affected officers made the demand in a petition they
addressed to the acting president, lamenting that they “have been
subjected to deliberate pattern of abuse including denial of access
to administrative procedures for seeking redress since the Army
Council decided in 2016.”

After President Muhammadu Buhari assumed office in 2015, the
Nigerian Army and Office of National Security Adviser instituted
two panels to inquire allegations of electoral malpractices by some
military personnel and corruption associated with arms
procurement.

In June 2016, the Nigeria Army under the leadership of the
Minister of Defense, Mr. Mansur Dan-Ali and Chief of Defense Staff,
Gen. Abayomi Olonisakin presided over a sitting of the Army Council
and decided to compulsorily retire 38 senior officers.

But in a petition signed by their counsel, Mr. Abdul Muhammed,
the officers said they did not at any time appear before any one of
the two panels that were set up or any other inquiry of
investigation before the Army Council recommended their compulsory
retirement.

The petition said the officers “were never investigated for any
infraction, they were never indicted, they were never tried and
they were never convicted of any disciplinary or criminal breaches
whatsoever
“Many of the officers had no relationship with election duties or
procurement office as alleged by army leadership. They have never
served in procurement capacity throughout their careers or
participated in any form of election duties during the 2015 general
election.

“None of the 38 senior officers that were compulsorily retired
was at any time ever charged, tried, tried by a court martial or
found guilty of any offence in line with armed forces extant rules
and regulations, before they respectively heard of their retirement
in the media.

“None of these officers has ever been informed of the
particulars of any alleged offense till date aside the bogus
assertion made by army leadership in the media. Some of the
affected officers wrote to the army authority to furnish them with
facts that constitute any alleged offense, but regrettably the army
has failed to respond to this simple request one year after.”

The petition said records of the army would confirm that some of
these 38 retired officers were actually in the frontline of
North-eastern operations waging war against terror which earned
them official commendations and accolades for their exploits, as
against the narrative of participating in election duties.

It added that some of the officers on the list of petitioners
were on army posting outside the shores of Nigeria during the
period of the general elections and during the entire periods that
the relevant panels were sitting in Kaduna and at Abuja.

It alleged that someone in the leadership of the military was
involved in victimisation of the officers, noting that their names
were substituted in place of the guilty ones in a case of gross
corruption and abuse of office.

It, thus, said the action of the military in the matter of the
38 officers was based on pure vendetta and pursuit of opaque
objectives such as attempt to coerce officers “to commit crimes in
future elections.

“This was motivated by their desire to further their personal
ambitions and interests without any consideration whatsoever for
overall national interest and security.”

About 38 senior officers of the Nigerian Army wednesday rejected
the decision of the Army Council to compulsorily retire them from
the service, thereby asking the Acting President, Prof. Yemi
Osinbajo, of authorise the immediate reinstatement of all the
affected officers.

The officers, also, asked the acting president to authorise an
impartial investigation into the allegations they brought against
the army and an independent review of the Army Council’s
decision.

The affected officers made the demand in a petition they
addressed to the acting president, lamenting that they “have been
subjected to deliberate pattern of abuse including denial of access
to administrative procedures for seeking redress since the Army
Council decided in 2016.”

After President Muhammadu Buhari assumed office in 2015, the
Nigerian Army and Office of National Security Adviser instituted
two panels to inquire allegations of electoral malpractices by some
military personnel and corruption associated with arms
procurement.

In June 2016, the Nigeria Army under the leadership of the
Minister of Defense, Mr. Mansur Dan-Ali and Chief of Defense Staff,
Gen. Abayomi Olonisakin presided over a sitting of the Army Council
and decided to compulsorily retire 38 senior officers.

But in a petition signed by their counsel, Mr. Abdul Muhammed,
the officers said they did not at any time appear before any one of
the two panels that were set up or any other inquiry of
investigation before the Army Council recommended their compulsory
retirement.

The petition said the officers “were never investigated for any
infraction, they were never indicted, they were never tried and
they were never convicted of any disciplinary or criminal breaches
whatsoever
“Many of the officers had no relationship with election duties or
procurement office as alleged by army leadership. They have never
served in procurement capacity throughout their careers or
participated in any form of election duties during the 2015 general
election.

“None of the 38 senior officers that were compulsorily retired
was at any time ever charged, tried, tried by a court martial or
found guilty of any offence in line with armed forces extant rules
and regulations, before they respectively heard of their retirement
in the media.

“None of these officers has ever been informed of the
particulars of any alleged offense till date aside the bogus
assertion made by army leadership in the media. Some of the
affected officers wrote to the army authority to furnish them with
facts that constitute any alleged offense, but regrettably the army
has failed to respond to this simple request one year after.”

The petition said records of the army would confirm that some of
these 38 retired officers were actually in the frontline of
North-eastern operations waging war against terror which earned
them official commendations and accolades for their exploits, as
against the narrative of participating in election duties.

It added that some of the officers on the list of petitioners
were on army posting outside the shores of Nigeria during the
period of the general elections and during the entire periods that
the relevant panels were sitting in Kaduna and at Abuja.

It alleged that someone in the leadership of the military was
involved in victimisation of the officers, noting that their names
were substituted in place of the guilty ones in a case of gross
corruption and abuse of office.

It, thus, said the action of the military in the matter of the
38 officers was based on pure vendetta and pursuit of opaque
objectives such as attempt to coerce officers “to commit crimes in
future elections.

“This was motivated by their desire to further their personal
ambitions and interests without any consideration whatsoever for
overall national interest and security.”