The Chadian Police has conducted a large-scale operation this morning at the stronghold of armed robbers where more than one hundred bandits were apprehended.
Several police vehicles laid siege on the bandits in their makeshift shelters behind the oil ministry.
About a hundred suspected robbers who operate in N’Djamena are apprehended during this operation and taken to the Public Security Station No. 7.
“They operate at night and in the morning are here to rest,” said a security source.
Troops of the Multi-National Joint Task Force and the Nigerian Armed Forces are basking in celebration following the successes of their combined efforts of artillery and air bombardments of suspected hideouts of erstwhile Boko Haram/ISWAP at the Tumbus of Lake Chad region where many terrorists and key commanders met their waterloo.
Credible information from the inner circles of the embattled insurgents enclave escaping to Sudan and Central African Republic, indicates that at least not fewer than 7 of their key commanders have been wasted by the superior forces of the MNJTF.
The commanders killed include; Abba Mainok, Bukar Dunokaube, Abu kololo, Abor Kime (said to be of Arab origin – likely their ISIS trainer), Mann Chari, Dawoud Abdoulaye (from Mali) and Abu Hamza.
All these were said to be commanders of various Tumbus controlling fighters before they were decisively dealt with and sent to the pit of hell by the military bombardment.
According to the Acting Director of Army Public Relations Col Sagir Musa: “Although these names may be not be real and may likely nicknames alias, nonetheless, it is an unprecedented feat to our quest of clearing the remnants of these criminals in the area.”
He added that efforts are ongoing to get more information on their true identities.
The Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Yusufu Buratai had through the Theatre Commander Multinational Joint Task Force and the Commander, Operation LAFIYA DOLE commended the troops for this great efforts and enjoined them to do more.
The Theatre Command Operation LAFIYA DOLE (TC – OPLD) has expressed concerns over the notorious activities of some Non Governmental Organizations working in the North East Nigeria particularly the subversive actions of a Nongovernmental organization Action Against Hunger (AAH).
In a statement the Acting Director of Public Relations Operation Lafiya Dole, Col Isa Ado said despite several warnings to desist from aiding and abetting terrorists and their atrocities The TC – OPLD has on many occasions raised alarm over this unwholesome practices of some NGOs and expressed same position during meetings with the NGOs operating in the NE Theater of Operation.
Consequently, the AAH has been declared persona non grata for aiding Boko Haram Terrorists/Islamic State West Africa by supplying them food and drugs despite warning from the Theatre.
The Command Ado said has obtained several credible intelligence indicating AAH as one of those NGOs operating in the NE that is notorious in supplying food and drugs to the criminals in the area.
He urged members of the public to continue to give credible information on the activities of the marauding criminals and their supporters in the Northeast Theatre of operation.
He assured the of its resolve and determination to always partner with credible NGOs and CSOs to cushion the impact of humanitarian crisis generated by the criminals in the Northeast in line with the international best standards while urging the public to continue to provide useful information to the military.
The Centre for International and Strategic Studies (CISS) has accused foreign media of propagating falsehood with the sole motive of tearing the country apart.
The think-tank, dedicated to conflict research in developing countries, made this conclusion after examining the Boko Haram insurgency and then exploring the possible factors behind its continuous existence.
In a detailed report titled “Foreign Links and the weaponization of falsehood against Nigeria and humanity” signed by Country Representative, Ifure A. Ifure (PhD), on Thursday, CISS analysed the role of foreign media in furthering insurgency.
As part of its fact-finding mission, the Centre undertook a study tour of the theatre of operations in North-East with particular reference to strategic places and institutions which dominated the narrative on the war since inception in 2009.
Among others, the think-tank observed that “ the Boko Haram narrative as propagated in the media by some external links is an attempt to label the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari as incompetent and lacking the political will to handle the crisis in the North East region.
“ It also observed that the use of propaganda by the Boko Haram terrorist is one of their principal weapon of war against the Nigerian state and in connivance with select international news mediums such as AFP, Reuters, etcetera.”
The group reckoned that in an “attempt to elicit cooperation from locals, the NGOs often promise groceries and money to anyone willing to speak against the Nigerian Army in operations, and forcing them to make false allegations of rape, deprivation, brutality, and other vices.
The team was able to identify that the bulk of the news emanating from most of the foreign media on the state of affairs in North-East Nigeria are outright falsehoods with the intent to cause a distraction to the Nigerian troops and to further the activities of the Boko Haram terrorists in operations in North-East Nigeria.
On completion of this exercise and in a bid to avert further foreign interference, the Centre recommended that the Nigerian authorities must:
“ Begin the process of auditing the credentials of the international NGOs in operations in North-East Nigeria to identify those that are carrying out espionage activities on behalf of some foreign interest that want to see to the disintegration of Nigeria.
“ Rise up to curtail the agenda of some vested international interest who by their proxies have launched a campaign of defamation against the Nigerian Military as evident in adverse reports, news stories, articles, documentaries been projected by these group with a vested interest in seeing to the advancement of the activities of Boko Haram in North-East Nigeria.
“ Attempt to take charge of the narrative on the state of affairs in North-East Nigeria by embarking on a massive awareness campaign to expose the spread of falsehoods by foreign interest group who are unhappy with the successes recorded by the Nigerian Military in its operations in North-East Nigeria.
“ Criminalize the spread of falsehood (fake news) on the Boko Haram conflict by any foreign media organization in operation in Nigeria, as well as their accomplices regardless of their nomenclature.
“ Devise a means to keep the citizens abreast of the activities of the Nigerian Military in North-East Nigeria. This is on the heels that a failure to dominate the narrative might give the foreign interest groups the edge in furtherance of their goal, which is to advance the cause of Boko Haram.
“ Closely monitor the activities of the international NGOs in operations in North-East Nigeria, as there is an abundance of pieces of evidence that most of them are working against the interest of Nigeria.”
The Nigerian Army says a massive exodus of criminals out of Lake Chad Tumbus to North and Central Africa sub-regions has been observed consequent on the combined onslaught on the identified hideouts of elements of the criminal elements of bandits and erstwhile Boko Haram/ISWAP fighters by our troops and the Multi-National Joint task Force MNJTF, at the fringes of Lake Chad region.
Credible reports from very reliable sources particularly among residents have indicated massive movements of the criminal groups out of the area towards Sudan and Central African Republic as a result of successful artillery and aerial bombardments of their settlements and as the heat of the onslaught is becoming unbearable.
The mass movement for their lives the Army say was necessitated following the sustained air and artillery bombardments by the Nigerian Armed Forces and Coalition forces of the MNJTF, which killed uncountable erstwhile Boko Haram/ISWAP fighters and destroyed their weapons and equipment.
In a statement the Acting Director of Army Public Relations, Col Sagir Musa said the various national troops and the MNJTF are maintaining aggressive patrols and blocking positions against infiltration by the escaping criminals.
”It is important to note that most of the Tumbus are located along the Quadrangular borders of Cameroon, Chad, Niger Republic and Nigeria.
”To further annihilate the fleeing terrorists, efforts are ongoing for continued shelling, bombardment and pursuits. Similarly, the countries in these sub-regions have also had been contacted through the MNJTF HQ.” He added
…Says city Remains Peaceful and Calm
The Nigerian Army has described information circulating on social media of ‘terrorists’ plan to execute deadly attacks on some selected populated areas and key facilities in Maiduguri town and neighboring areas as an attempt to cause panic within the metropolis by mischief makers.
In a statement, Deputy Public Relations Officer for the Theatre Command, Operation Lafiya Dole, Col Ado Isa while assuring the public that necessary measures have been put in place to checkmate the purported evil plans of the criminals, urged residents to go about their normal businesses.
Col Ado added that troops in the Theatre, have been committed to ensure movements and activities of the marauders are effectively thwarted.
”Troops are also in staging positions in line with the Super Camp Concept to destroy the bandits whenever they are seen.”
He called on members of the public to disregard the rumor of ‘deadly attacks’ on Maiduguri and environs.
”The fake news is circulated by mischievous elements and other collaborators of the criminals with the aim to instil fear and panic in the minds of the people as well as to sabotage the efforts of the military and other security agencies in the struggle to end the menace.” He added.
He equally called on the public to be more vigilant and report unusual/suspicious presence or movements of persons especially at important public places like markets, schools, mosques and churches as well as venues for occasions to security agencies.
By David Onmeje
“I hereby second the motion by General Buratai that the media plays the role of key stakeholders in the protection of our national security interest,” –Emmanuel Onwubiko, Head, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA)
I believe, the name Emmanuel Onwubiko has a household flavour in Nigeria. He prides himself as a media practitioner, social commentator, human rights critic and campaigner for social justice. From his vintage position as Head, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), Onwubiko has churned out a dozen articles in the exposition of the human rights dilemma in our country, especially as it relates to the security agents burdened with ensuring public law and order as well as protection of lives.
This critic’s pen is acerbic and flows with a bile ink. His ink is particularly dripping “crazily” on the Nigerian Army’s (NA) handling of counter-insurgency operations and other violent insurrections in the country. And I think, this is not bad, because if leaders must be reminded of their obligations, the media must not shrink on its constitutional responsibility of acting as the conscience of the nation.
But I have no doubt and like echoed by Onwubiko a few days back, on national security threats, the media and its practitioners’ proclivities in practice should be amplified more in safeguarding the corporate unity and sanctity of national security. I have realized that often times, the knack and persuasions to scoop news or be deeply critical of every situation unconsciously dumps us into some damaging compromise of national security.
In my estimation, Onwubiko has been “guilty” on this score several times. It is evident in his ceaseless pen engagements of the Nigerian Army under the leadership of the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) and helmsman of the counter-insurgency operations, Lt. Gen. Tukur Yusufu Buratai over military’s operations, especially in the Northeast in the last four years.
And most times, his analyses in the media on Army’s confrontations with insurgents and insurrectionists leaves a bitter taste in the mouth and elevates the tendency to embolden these criminals and compromise national security. Onwubiko has authored scathing and persecutory articles against the operations of the Army such as; “Trump as ‘Poster Boy’ of Nigerian Army;” “ How Torture Diminishes Nigeria Army;” “Unresolved Atrocities of Python Dance;” and “The martyrs of Rivers polls;” among a motley of others. They are usually, very virulent in contents against the Army.
Quite discomfortingly, Onwubiko has been a strong, baseless critic of the Nigerian Army. And the snag many noticed in some of his outings was that in repeated instances, he resorted to defending certain positions considered inimical to public security interests or against the interest of Nigeria, as a nation.
His claims to human rights expertise sometimes compel him to re-write extant laws according to his feelings and not necessarily the spirit of the letter, which passes as defending armed criminals terrorizing Nigeria with violence and bloodbath. I might not be wrong by accusing him of being an ethnic bigot or a critic horned and incensed to defend the aberrations of ethnic cum religious warlords.
And he was dangerous, dragging his image and self-esteem into the mud by the senseless or illogical criticisms of the Army’s leadership by Gen. Buratai. His somewhat vindictive obsession with Gen. Buratai reminded me of former British Prime Minister, Margret Thatcher, who said sarcastically that; “If my critics saw me walking over the Thames, they would say it was because I couldn’t swim.”
At such times of Onwubiko’s absurd umbrage against the Army, I would only be consoled by the words of the American scientist, K Eric Drexler’s wit that “I’ve encountered a lot of people who sound like critics but very few who have substantive criticisms. There is a lot of scepticism, but it seems to be more a matter of inertia than it is of people having some real reason for thinking something else.”
Therefore, it was not a misplaced conception that many Nigerians who followed Onwubiko’s criticisms of the Army before now thought or believed he is easily available for hire to hit at anyone since he had the viable platform of HURIWA. I could sometimes be perplexed on how he derived some arguments and obstinately clung unto to it over non-existing issues.
And excitingly, one virtue anyone could never fault in Onwubiko is the tendency to lace his prose with quotes of great writers when he wants to be on the absurd track. And this unique prose style held his audience spellbound to the issues he espoused and convictions.
But the good news is that Emmanuel Onwubiko has repossessed his lost senses on national security and confessed the much the Army is professionally doing to ensure peace and security in Nigeria. I want to believe he has genuinely encountered Jesus Christ, as reflected in his recent write-ups about the COAS, Gen. Buratai. He can be pardoned even though it took him four years to see the leadership qualities in Gen. Buratai to venerate and fete him with enduring accolades today.
So, it has gladdened my heart that Onwubiko has become a strong crusader of support for the Army by the media. He is also backing, extolling or endorsing the sound leadership initiatives of Gen. Buratai as I quoted at the beginning of this article, which I lifted from his latest article titled, “Terrorists, Army and Media Glamour,” (published on September 17, 2019). For Onwubiko to concede to the same policies and actions of Gen. Buratai he had previously and virulently criticized can be likened to the Biblical story of Saul on the road to Damascus.
I am least in doubt that my esteemed colleague in the media, Mr Onwubiko has encountered the ideal light and his sane wisdom restored. And even if belatedly, I still congratulate him because there is no time that is too late to stand, recognize and defend the truth.
I invite you into Onwubiko’s changed mindset on the Nigerian Army with brief excerpts from another article titled, “General Buratai And His Chinua Achebe’s Card.” It has this submissive connotation and bows to the repressed truth on Gen. Buratai’s leadership of the Army these past years;
Therefore, Onwubiko wrote in the piece, “General Buratai And His Chinua Achebe’s Card;” that “Buratai played the Chinua Achebe’s card by calling a spade by its name and stating the obvious that the Army needs to carry out systematic re-orientation of the operatives and officer corps of the Nigerian Army so as to achieve service discipline and rid the institution of professional misconduct.”
He expatiated; “I call the leadership courage exhibited by the current Chief of Army Staff the Chinua Achebe’s card because the illustrious professor had in a very clear format stated the trouble with Nigeria and recommended that for Nigeria to get it right, we need to look at the leadership crisis.”
Like others, I am no less excited that Onwubiko has purged himself of his prejudiced and malicious criticisms of the operations of the Nigerian Army to embrace caution and truth, by canvassing the support of other Nigerians, especially the media to bolster the morale of Nigerian Army in safeguarding the ethos of national security. It has invoked in me the Biblical story of Saul on the road to Damascus as reflected in Acts 9: 1-4.
Nonetheless, I admire Gen. Buratai’s comportment throughout the period of the induced persecution. He never bothered about the distractions of a thousand Onwubikos because like the American businessman, Jeff Bezos said; “If you can’t tolerate critics, don’t do anything new or interesting.”
So, the leader of the counter-insurgency operations in Nigeria was rather stimulated into more determined actions’, exploring and breaking new grounds, with fresh war strategies and tactics in combating insurgencies. Buratai imbibed the wisdom of an English writer; Ella Woodward, who underscored that “Stay true to yourself, engage with your followers, and ignore the critics.”
Interestingly, with Gen. Buratai’s endurance and tolerance of bile criticisms from adversaries with malicious intents, he has been able to win the hearts of his adversaries. And this is what I know happens to a focused and truthful leader. Gen. Buratai’s fate is akin to that of King Solomon in the scriptures.
King Solomon faced similar persecutions; but when the time was ripe, angels and even his enemies all came together to accept Solomon as the wisest king. It is good tidings that Onwubiko has shamed his sponsors to now lauding the leadership qualities of Gen Buratai. It’s a sign of genuine repentance which is instructive and should not be taken for granted, particularly by our colleagues’ in the media he touchingly advised in his latest piece-, “Terrorists, Army and Media Glamour.”
Onmeje is a columnist based in the United Kingdom.
Save Humanity Advocacy Center (SHAC) has warned France to desist from its unholy union with members of the dreaded Islamic sect, Boko Haram to undermine the entity called Nigeria.
The group was reacting to a recent report by New York Times, which claimed the insurgents bought some sophisticated weapons from France.
Addressing a news conference on Tuesday, Comrade Ibrahim Abubakar,
Executive Secretary of SHAC warned France and any country it may be using as proxy to prop up Boko Haram by using them as conduit to deliver arms and military gear to the terrorists to stop.
The group further urged the international community to ask France the pertinent questions before it becomes too late.
His speecb below.
Gentlemen of the press, you must have noticed the report that said Boko Haram insurgents have acquired sophisticated drones.
The reported hardware are presently capable of reconnaissance, intelligence gathering and spying missions. It is a matter of time before they escalate to using drones that are capable of carrying out attacks.
We find expedient to believe the report because it was widely syndicated by western owned media, which are known to run propaganda for Boko Haram in the past.
Their report of the drones acquisition came about the same time that there were reports from locals that the terrorists have started sporting new weapons in recent weeks.
In the past, the source of the weapons air-dropped to Boko Haram terrorists in Northeast of Nigeria has been established as patently French. It is something that has attracted outcry from the Save Humanity Advocacy Group in the past with the concern echoed by other individuals and organizations that became aware of the French treachery.
Let it be noted that in spite of the overwhelming evidence that indicted France it has not done anything meaningful to address its complicity in the distribution of instrument of death to terrorists for use against Nigerians. Even the arrest of French trainers among the terrorists has not moved French to own up to its negative role in the axis neither has it taught it to halt it subversive activities against Nigeria.
When this French involvement in arming Boko Haram was raised in the past France will sidestep the issues by sponsoring international NGOs and some media circuits to demonized the Nigerian authorities, especially the military and particularly the Nigerian Army. It is this practice that has again surfaced as the running commentary about the military being incapable of fighting the terrorists or that Boko Haram members have the upper hand over the Nigerian state.
The timing of the report about Boko Haram now possessing drones and even newer firearms curiously coincides with the announcement of a $1 billion regional effort aimed at combating terrorism in the West African Sub-region. These kind of reports coinciding with announcement of regional efforts have been pivotal to the demise of such efforts at fighting Boko Haram in the past.
The stories we are now reading means we will be seeing a repeat of previous patterns – Boko Haram will attempt hitting soft targets and occasional military targets that will not dare try now that there are Super Camps. These will then be followed by lopsided media campaigns that will first cast Boko Haram as the superior force and later present insurgents as victims of human rights abuses.
We are challenging France to tell the world who is responsible for arming Boko Haram in the past. The answer to this question of who supplied past weapons will signpost who to hold responsible now that the terrorists are getting drones that could strike any city of the world.
For this reason, we are imploring the world to ask France the pertinent questions before it becomes too late. Whether by default or by accident, it is a matter of time before Boko Haram tests the weapons France is arming them with on other nations, possibly in the west. Hopefully, by that time the world would not be in a quandary over who to hold accountable for such disaster should it unfold.
We use this opportunity to warn France and any country it may be using as proxy to prop up Boko Haram by using them as conduit to deliver arms and military gear to the terrorists. There are international instruments at the disposal of Nigeria to address the rascality being put up by those undermining Nigeria’s war against terrorism.
On its part, the Nigerian military must repeat the device blows it had dealt terrorists in the Northeast in the past. Eliminating the new threat posed by Boko Haram is crucial to the safety of citizens in Borno and other places. It must punish the terrorists with the same intensity that had made it impossible for them to overrun the country as planned by the countries secretly supporting them. It must continue with its strategy of Super Camps since this appears to be what has rattled the sponsors of Boko Haram to both increase weapons supply to the terrorists and to re-open the media front in the war.
The member states that have committed to the new funds to combat Boko Haram must break free of colonial loyalties, after all, no nation should continue tying itself to the apron strings of a nation that once postured as their conqueror. They should stand firm to the terms of the fund and make sure that all countries in the region make the place unconducive for terrorists and terrorist activities.
By Kareen Goulding
Since 2009 when Boko Haram began its violent campaign against the state in Nigeria, it has been a tale of invincibility. The military authorities underrated their sophistication at the time, and this resulted in heavy casualties on civilian populations as well as troops who employed conventional war strategies in a war that is asymmetric.
I must add that the Nigerian authorities were dumbfounded as they could not phantom the way out of dealing with the threat posed by the terrorist group. So this trend lasted for an upward eight years, and with millions displaced and properties worth millions of naira destroyed in North-East Nigeria. The Boko Haram phenomenon posed a severe threat to the territorial sovereignty of Nigeria and consequently plunged North-East Nigeria in a humanitarian crisis that shook our very foundation.
I recall that various school of thoughts propounded theories that would curtail the activities of the terrorist group, but none seemed to provide that magic wand needed to turn the tide against the terrorist group. And they gained more grounds, so much so that they took control of over 16 local government areas in North-East Nigeria. They established caliphates and attempted to begin an inglorious regime of abductions, maiming and killings, rape, destructions, and other nefarious activities centred around crimes against humanity.
The then government of the day seemed clueless, and there was no solution in sight. And the monster of Boko Haram grew in phenomenal proportion. Nigeria was on the brinks, nowhere including the federal capital territory was safe with the constant attack on critical government infrastructures including the headquarters of the Nigerian Police Force, as well as the headquarters of the United Nations in Nigeria. It was such a sorry tale in Nigeria.
However, things began to look positive with the coming into office of the administration of President Muhummadu Buhari in 2015. I recall one of the first decisions taken was the relocation of the military high command from Abuja to North-East Nigeria, and it was followed with the appointment of service chiefs who were mandated to hit the ground running in the quest to bring the activities of Boko Haram terrorist to an end.
Many of us wondered then how such would happen with the level of grounds gained by the group as well as with the sophistication with which it operated that had left a huge demoralizing effect on the troops in the theatre of operations in North-East Nigeria.
I must confess that some of us had doubts on how this gargantuan task was going to be accomplished by a military that was highly demoralized and lacking the required weaponry to confront a terrorist group that was growing in sophistication daily.
When on 24th December 2016 news filtered in that Sambisa Forest, the operational headquarters of Boko Haram had been captured by Nigerian troops, the country leaped in joy. Even though in some quarters, the news was received with a pinch of salt, it was nonetheless true. This was a significant milestone in the war against terrorism in Nigeria, and since then, there has been no turning back. The Boko Haram group was left in disarray and attempted to employ other nocturnal means to regain control of their strong base, and that saw to the deployment of suicide bombings using women and children targeted at unarmed civilians. But again, the Nigerian Military was able to sustain the tempo with renewed vigour to the amazement of all the doubting Thomas’s.
The tide changed entirely, and there was hope once again that the threat posed by the terrorist group had been curtailed. And Nigerians celebrated this rare feat and urged the troops to do more. The political leadership of the country also provided that support by offering all that was needed to boost the morale of the troops.
The military leadership also led by example. The Chief of Army Staff was always in the trenches with the troops in a manner that was quite commendable. In my opinion, that was strategic in the sense that the troops were charged to give their best in defence of the country. And today, the successes recorded have been applauded in many quarters.
I must add that one of the things that caught my attention with the operations of the Nigerian Military is the deployment of operational strategies that were dynamic and yielded the required results in the war against terrorism in Nigeria. Amongst the avalanche of strategies introduced, the recent introduction of the Super Camp Strategy by Nigerian Military in the final onslaught against Boko Haram terrorist is indeed a masterstroke worthy of commendation.
According to available information, the Super Camp Strategy is such that has seen to the rapid decimation of the Boko Haram fighters. It was revealed that upon the realization that the Boko Haram terrorists were taking advantage of rural communities to strategize and launch attacks on military formations in North-East Nigeria, the military hierarchy designed the Super Camp Strategy that involves the setting up of military camps in remote communities across North-East Nigeria. This was aside the various army formations already in place.
The idea is indeed strategic that it gives the remnants of Boko Haram fighters little or no opportunity to move freely and to pass in between static defence location. And the result has been phenomenal with heavy casualties inflicted on Boko Haram remnants.
I am elated with the final defeat of Boko Haram terrorists and must give credit to the gallantry exhibited by the Nigerian Military. I believe that Nigerians must indeed doff their hats for the efforts of the Nigerian Military in defeating Boko Haram in Nigeria. This is on the heels that those in positions of authority made a lot of sacrifices.
The introduction of the Super Camp Strategy has proven to be effective in the war against terrorism in Nigeria. Nigerians must indeed come to terms with this reality and extend their support to the operations of the Nigerian Military.
Credit must also go to President Muhammadu Buhari for standing by his words to do everything within his powers to ensure that no Nigerian territory is under the control of Boko Haram terrorists. And to the leadership of the Nigerian Military for exhibiting a high sense of patriotism in protecting the territorial sovereignty of Nigeria. The fighting troops that have laboured day and night also deserve our commendation. I think that a cue must be taken from this sense of dedication and commitment to duty as exhibited by the Nigerian Military. And if that is the case, there would be no stopping Nigeria in our quest for greatness.
Goulding wrote this piece from the UK.
By Lawrence Audu
The Nigerian Army has commenced court-martial of former General Officer Commanding (GOC) 8 Division, Maj. Gen. Hekeen Otiki, for alleged diversion of N400,000 million security funds.
The Court Marshal which commenced Tuesday at the Command Headquarters Officer Mess, Asokoro, Abuja is being led by Lt. General Lamidi Adeosun, the Chief of Policy and Plans at Army Headquarters, and seven other Major Generals as members while Major A. Mohammed is the Judge Advocate.
The members are Major General AA Tarfa, Commander Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC), Major General John Malu, Commander, Nigerian Army Engineering Corps, Major General CT Olukoju, Director General, Nigerian Army Land Simulation Center, Major General CC Okonkwo, Special Adviser, Nigerian Army University, Biu, Major General Aguguo, Chief of Transformation and Innovation, Nigerian Army and Major General M Mohammed, former GOC 1 division, Kaduna.
While the prosecuting counsel is led by Major JS Obot, he is supported by Major I Suleiman, and Major Orumo.
The defence counsel for Major General Otiki has Barr Okechukwu Ajunwa, supported by Major Femi Oyebanji retired and Mr Ishaq Adekunle.
Disclosing the convening order for the General Court Martial, Lt. General Adeosun said, “I Lt. General TY Buratai, by the powers conferred on me as the Chief of Army Staff, Nigerian Army, and pursuant to Section 131 Sub Section 201 of the Armed Forces Act, Cap 20, Laws of Nigeria 2004, hereby convene this General Court Martial to assemble at Army Headquarters Command Mess, Asokoro, Abuja on 17th September 2019.
The President said the proceedings will be guided by the Federal Republic of Nigeria Constitution 1999 as amended, the Armed Forces of Nigeria Act 2004, the Evidence Act, the Holy Bible, the Holy Quran and relevant authorities.