Nigerian Army Announces Panel Members To Investigate Military Conduct During Ekitigate Scandal

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The Nigerian army announced the membership of a five-man panel charged with investigating misconduct by some of its officers during the Ekiti and Osun State elections in 2014.

The President of the Investigative Panel, Major General Adeniyi Oyebade, told the media and public that the panel had two weeks to submit a report of their findings and recommendations to the Chief of Army Staff Tukur Buratai.

The members of the panel include: Major General Adeniyi Oyebade as the President, Colonel Danladi Salihu as the secretary, Brigadier Generals Emmanuel Kabuk, Sunday Araoye, and Baba Ibrahim.

SaharaReporters first broke the Ekitigate scandal in February 2015 through the release of audio recordings and transcripts of Brigadier General Aliyu Momoh accepting bribes from former Minister of Defense Musiliu Obanikoro, former Minister of Police Affairs Jelili Adesiyan, Senator Iyiola Omisore, and Governor Ayo Fayose. The whistleblower, Captain Sagir Koli, provided evidence to SaharaReporters detailing the plot to rig the Ekiti State gubernatorial election for Governor Fayose and the attempt to do the same for Osun State.

In an abuse of his authority, Brigadier General Momoh retaliated against Mr. Koli for leaking the details of this plot. Brigadier General Momoh incarcerated Mr. Koli’s younger brother, a civilian, Adamu Koli without charge and chained him to a bed at the Adekunle Fanjuyi Cantonment. The illegal incarceration and torture of Adamu Koli was intended to lure Captain Koli out of hiding.

SaharaReporters tried to reach Brigadier General Momoh on his cellphone, number 803 703 3694, for comment, but he refused to take our call. Mr. Momoh’s ringback tone of a Martin Luther King Jr. speech was the only thing our correspondent heard before Mr. Momoh answered, then hung up when he learned it was the media.

SaharaReporters has previously attempted to reach Brigadier General Momoh, to learn whether his lackluster redeployment to the Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) was the promotion he was hoping for, but he refused to take our correspondent’s questions.

Brigadier General Momoh was not the only military officer implicated in the Ekiti and Osun State election scandals. SaharaReporters published evidence which indicated that soldiers under Brigadier General Momoh’s command participated in election fraud. The evidence also implicated several officers in the facilitation of a three-week vacation for the top military officer in Osun State, so that Mr. Momoh could replicate the Ekiti election fraud there.

Major General Oyebade told the public today, “as most of you are aware, the last general elections conducted in March 2015 elicited criticism in some quarters, especially from the general public, particularly on conduct of Nigerian Army personnel during both the gubernatorial and presidential elections respectively.” he added, “these allegations were centered on the gubernatorial elections conducted in some States such as Ekiti, Osun, Rivers, and Akwa-Ibom, to mention a few.”

Source: SaharaReporters