A former Commander of the Nigerian Army, Operation Lafiya Dole, Counter-Terrorism Command, in the North-East, Major-General Olusegun Adeniyi, is to face a Court-Martial.
Adeniyi had in late March, 2020, appeared in a video complaining about poor equipment in the Military, after an attack by Boko Haram terrorists left dozens of Soldiers dead; this is the reason he is being court-martialled, Army insiders told among 886 Officers the Army listed for new postings on Tuesday.
His name which appears on serial 42 on the list, is being moved from the Nigerian Army Resource Centre, to the Army Headquarters, both in Abuja, for “for jurisdiction”, that is, to face a Court-Martial.
In the March video that caused Adeniyi’s troubles, the Major-General could be seen among disorganised troops decrying losses of men and equipment in a particular encounter with Boko Haram, who were “facing us” from “every flank, with not less than 15 gun trucks”.
He also complained about an Intelligence failure, resulting in a heavy loss of Soldiers.
He, however, said that himself and his troops were committed to remaining on the battlefront to confront the terrorists.
The video was widely shared on the social media, sparking outrage and renewed criticisms that the government of President Muhammadu Buhari and the Military Commanders, were giving the public false impressions on war efforts and successes in the country, especially in the North-East, against insurgents.
The Military did not publicly comment on the video, but Adeniyi was swiftly relieved of his position as Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole, and moved to the Nigerian Army Resource Centre, NARC, as a “Research Fellow”. He is now moving from NARC to face a Court-Martial.
His appearance before the Court-Martial is expected to start on July 20, 2020.