Court-martial convicts General who complained of inadequate equipment to fight B’Haram

Four months after he was commended for his exploit in the fight against Boko Haram, Mr Adeniyi was dragged before a court-martial.

ByAbdulkareem Haruna
A military court in Abuja on Monday convicted a former Theatre Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole, Olusegun Adeniyi, who once led the country’s onslaught against Boko Haram, The Punch is reporting.

The report said the tribunal found Mr Adeniyi, a major-general, guilty of violating some sections of the policy on the use of social media for personnel of the armed forces of Nigeria.

The policy was released on June 11, 2018, on the directives of the Chief of Defence Staff, Gabriel Olonisakin, a general.

Section 15 (g) of the policy specifically forbids personnel from “posting any video, audio, materials pictures during exercises/operations.”

The court-martial, however, found the major general guilty of producing and publicising a video on the counter-insurgency operation in the North-east in a manner that embarrassed and ridiculed the armed forces of Nigeria.

He was therefore ordered demoted by at least three years. His orderly, Tokunbo Obanla, a private, was also found guilty and sentenced to 28 days in jail with hard labour.

The Nigerian Army had in July ordered Mr Adeniyi to face court-martial, four months after he was seen in a rare video confessing that Nigerian troops were being outgunned by Boko Haram terrorists.

Mr Adeniyi was leading a large troop of soldiers on a special operation when they came under heavy attacks by Boko Haram.

The commander was seen in two of four video clips giving a recorded situation report to the Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai, a lieutenant general.
Source: PUNCH