The Nigerian Army is awaiting approval from President Muhammadu Buhari, to commence military trial for all serving officers implicated in the ongoing investigation into the $2.1bn arms purchase scandal.
A reliable government source on Sunday, revealed to Punch Newspapers that military authorities have already requested the President’s permission for the officers to be prosecuted under the Armed Forces Act.
The military is said to believe that it would be more appropriate for the indicted officers to be tried by a military rule, as opposed to being prosecuted by the regular court.
The source was quoted to have said: “The military authorities have suggested to the Federal Government that all serving officers, found culpable in the ongoing investigation into the arms procurement scandal, be tried under the Armed Forces Act rather than being tried in regular courts.”
“You may recall that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has returned Col. Ojogbane Adegbe, the former Aide-de-Camp to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, to the military authorities after he was interrogated.”
“A former Military Assistant in the Office of the National Security Adviser, Col. Nicholas Ashinze, had also been confined to the Officers’ Mess by the military authorities after his initial detention by the anti-graft agency.”
“The pending request to try and them and 11 other serving military chiefs using the Armed Forces Act may be responsible for this.”
The report further stated that President Buhari is yet to issue approval to the military authorities to carry on with its trial.
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