By Sumaila Ogbaje

Prof. Sheriff Ibrahim, Department of Political Science and International Relations, University of Abuja; and other stakeholders have stressed the need to abate electoral violence before, during and after 2023 general elections.

They made the call at a symposium on election security organised by Centre for strategic research and studies, National Defence College in collaboration with African Peace Support Trainers Association.

The symposium is with the theme Election Security: Abating Election Violence in the 2023 General Elections.

Ibrahim said that electoral violence had caused colossal loss and damage to lives and property as well as nation’s economy hence should be abated.

He said that electoral violence had taken its toll on all stakeholders, including Independent Electoral Commission (INEC), officials and property, the security agents, media and electorate.

He noted that since the 2019 general elections, the electoral body had recorded 50 attacks in 15 states of the federation., while property worth billions of naira had been destroyed with loss of lives at different stages.

He noted that ”record shows that 100 persons killed in election related violence in 2003, 300 in 2007, 800 in 2011

“In all, the electoral body recorded nine attacks in 2019, 21 incidents in 2020 and over 12 as of May 2021. It also lost 9,836 smart card readers, 345 ballot boxes, and 135 voting cubicles, among other assets,” he said.

According to him, on Feb. 12, 2019, shortly before the general elections, two containers loaded with 4,695 smart card readers were destroyed along with other sensitive materials in a mysterious fire at the Anambra State headquarters of INEC.

“The commission estimated in its budget that each card reader cost N167, 063 while each memory card cost N6,000.

“It was estimated that based on INEC’s budget for such sensitive materials, the loss incurred was about N847million, which also included batteries and Secure Access Module cards,” he said.

According to him, a report in 2019 showed that 352 cases of attack against journalists were recorded between 1985 and 2019.

“In 2021, 40 incidents of press freedom attacks against 49 journalists were recorded. Reporters without borders ranked Nigeria 120 out of the 180 countries in freedom of journalists,” he said

He said that violence against electorate included attacks by parties not sensing victory, inter-party clashes, vote buying, attacks by political thugs

He also noted cyber attacks on the INEC portal which may affect results of the election.

According to him, security agents are also targets before, during and after elections.a report indicates that within the Q4 of 2022 and Q3 of 2021, 322 police officers and 642 soldiers have been killed.

“This is due to the divergent insecurity ambiance of the federation.”

He said that there was the need to adequately protect election’s officials, material and infrastructure, stressing that this should be a collective responsibility of all stakeholders.

He noted that in abating electoral violence in the 2023 general elections, securitization of election infrastructure was indispensable.

He believed that if it is well protected, INEC offices would not be razed before, during and after elections and the electorate would be safe.

“Federal, State and local government agencies would be safe and well coordinated election materials would be safe and delivered accordingly, INEC portal would be good and safe.

“Political thuggery and violence would have no place in the electoral environment,” he said.

He said that to abate violence before, during and after the election, weeks before the elections there should be inner and outer cordoning by members of the Police and the Military.

“There should be sophisticated intelligence gathering across the nation, absolute surveillance system should be put in place across the nation.

“Emergency response teams should be well prepared against any security threat, .identification of flash points should be made and well monitored.

He also stressed on INEC Portal Security, adding that “isolating the ransomware is the first step to be taken. This can prevent east-west attacks, where the ransomware spreads from one device to another through their network connections.

He also noted access to technology, resources, and processes like cyber security assessments, cyber hygiene scanning, incident response, network baselines, network segmentation, security policies, threat hunting, detection and prevention, and vulnerability assessments among others as steps to abate electioral violence

Also speaking, the commandant of NDC Rear Admiral Murtala Bashir, represented by the College Secretary Air Vive Marshall David Solomon said the election violence should be nip in the bud.

He said that efforts should be made to ensure that violence before, during and after the election should not see the light of the day..

While calling for collective efforts to abate electoral violence l, he said that military should not be left alone in the fight against violence.

Also from Yussuf Mohammed Department of Security Service, said that  ember of electoral violence were fanned by politicians who wanted to win at all cost.

Mohammed noted that most of such politicians had criminal nature which made it easier for them to become instigator of violence

He called for proper investigation and background check of all would-be -political office holders.
He urged the media to be patriotic in their reportage and see Nigeria as their own, ”we need to see good in Nigeria and not focusing on the negative always”

Also retired Brig.-Gen. Robert Kabagel from Kenya gave experience of his county democratic process and call for independent judiciary, where judgment on election would not be influenced .

He called for usage of early warning mechanism, to identify the hotspots and nip violence in the bud before elections.

Others also stressed on the need to curtail the culture of impunity and always bring culprits in election violence to book

They also called demilitarization of electoral process should  stressing that military should not be the first point of call in electoral violence (NAN) (www.nannews)

Edited by Isaac Aregbesola

By Sumaila Ogbaje

Abuja, Feb. 17, 2023 (NAN) The Nigerian Army says its operations require both mental and physical capacity to achieve operational effectiveness and successes.

Acting Director, Civil Military Affairs, Army Headquarters, Brig.-Gen. Hillary Mabeokwu, said this at the closing of the maiden Nigerian Army Combined Combat Sports Coaching and Officiating Clinic on Friday in Abuja.

Mabeokwu, who spoke on behalf of the Chief of Civil Military Affairs, Maj.-Gen. Markus Kangye, said that combat sports was one of the training activities aimed at enhancing the physical and mental alertness of troops.

He said the training was in line with the vision of the Chief of Army Staff, “to have a professional Nigerian army ready to accomplish assigned missions within a joint environment in defence of Nigeria”.

He said the training would also help to give them the expertise required to face armed combats.

“We do this in collaboration with other agencies, and that is why you see today, the technical directors and other representatives of other combat sports federation, in our midst.

“So it is just to enhance the physical and mental capacity and capabilities of our troops generally.

“We look forward to a better and more efficient personnel that can also participate actively even in our future sporting endeavors not only in the military, but also outside.

“It has enhanced that capacity and also their technical abilities,” he said.

Acting Director, Physical Training (Army), Brig.-Gen. Olawale Fawole, said the combat sports event was the first major training activities of the directorate for 2023.

Fawole said the directorate had been repositioned to fulfill its mandate and attain the vision of the chief of army staff.

He said the Nigerian army would continue to use sports to improve the physical and mental alertness of personnel.

The director said that army sportsmen and women had won several laurels in both local and international competitions, adding that the event was conceptualised to accomplish greater achievements in sports competitions.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the representative of the COAS, who is the Deputy Chief of Training, Maj.-Gen. Muhammed Etsu-Ndagi, declared the competition opened.

The combat competition was organised by the Department of Physical Training as part of its training activities.

The sports competed for included Judo and Taekwondo, with competitors drawn from within the army. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Maharazu Ahmed

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By Isaac Aregbesola

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has arrested an accountant of a filling station at Dutse Alhaji in Abuja.

The Commission’s spokesperson, Mrs Azuka Ogugua in a statement on Friday in Abuja, said the accountant was arrested over alleged new Naira notes racketeering.

According to her, this latest arrest follows the continued onslaught by the commission on some elements who have taken advantage of the scarcity of the new Naira notes to swindle unsuspecting Nigerians.

Ogugua said that the Commission’s Monitoring Team had earlier received a tip-off that the said filling station deliberately disconnected its Point of Sale (POS) services to aid its fraudulent practices.

“Hence, motorists could not have access to the Premium Motor Spirit, popularly called Petrol, using their Automated Teller Machine (ATM) cards.

“Upon reaching the Petrol Station, the Team found out that motorists were forced to pay for the product in cash, and those without the new notes were directed to a POS operator directly opposite the station to access their cash.

“ICPC operatives found out that the POS did not only belong to the accountant of the Filling Station, but it was indulging high charges as commission against the directive of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

“The sum of One Million Naira (N1,000,000) was discovered with the POS operator which the Team directed that it should be paid into a bank account.”

Ogugua said the accountant and the POS operator were promptly arrested, adding that, “both of them have been granted administrative bail by the Commission.”(NAN)

Edited by Yinusa Ishola/Ismail AbdulAziz

By Olajide Idowu

A Pastor and two bricklayers on Friday  died in a well at Owode-Ede, Osun,  after one of the bricklayers reportedly went into the well to remove a water drawer that fell into it.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) learnt that the victims died after one of the bricklayers attempted to remove the water drawer and the others went in to rescue him.

Mr Adekunle Ibrahim, spokesperson of the Osun Fire Service told NAN that the incident occurred at about 10.00a.m on Friday.

“The incident happened at Alaro Onigbin community in Owode Ede, Ede North Local Government Area of Osun.

“The bricklayers, Lateef Adediran, 22 and Waliu Adediran, 31, were engaged by one Pastor Adebayo Oluwasina, 46, to help him raise the fence around two blocks of classrooms in his school.

“As they were working, the water fetcher used to get water from the well within  the premises fell into it and the younger Adediran went into recover it.

“He however got trapped inside the deep well due to the presence of the ammonia gas at its bottom.

“The elder Adediran, in an effort to rescue his brother,  equally went into the well and he got trapped too,” he said

Ibrahim said when the pastor that engaged them got to know about what happened, he ‘erroneously’ went into the well to try and get them out but got trapped in the process.

“It was at this juncture that they alerted the service,” he said

He said the remains of the deceased were recovered with the support of personnel from the Federal Fire Service, Police ‘A’ Division Ede and some good Samaritans.

Ibrahim said the deceased were certified dead when they taken to the hospital by the officers of the Osun Ambulance Service while they were later handed over to their various families. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Abdulfatai Beki/Bashir Rabe Mani

By Sumaila Ogbaje

The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt.-Gen. Faruk Yahaya, has warned criminals and thugs to stay away from election processes.

Yahaya gave the warning at the inauguration of the Army War College Nigeria (AWCN) Course 7/2023 and Inaugural Lecture of the college on Friday in Abuja.

He assured Nigerians of the loyalty of officers and soldiers of the Nigerian army to the President, Commander-in-Chief and the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to protect its integrity.

“As we move towards the 2023 general elections, I want to assure the nation of the commitment of the Nigerian army along with the other services and our stakeholders, of our preparedness to provide a conducive environment for a free, fair and credible election.

“Criminals, thugs, hooligans and miscreants are advised in their own interest, not to interfere with the elections as the law abiding citizens and good people of Nigeria go to the polls to freely exercise their constitutional right to vote,” he said.

Yahaya said the college had been able to bridge the training gap in the Nigerian army, urging participants to remain focussed with a view to maximising the benefits of the rich course content of the college.

He expressed confidence that the participant would have been well groomed into the elite league as critical thinkers who would strive to identify challenges and provide plausible strategies and solutions.

“As new challenges continue to emerge in our dear nation in the face of concerted efforts to tackle them, I believe that the knowledge gained in the college will equip you with the requisite expertise to plan operations.

“The course will also enhance understanding and synergy between the Armed Forces of Nigeria and other security agencies in the conduct of operations.

“This actually keys into my vision for Nigeria, which is to have the professional Nigerian army ready to accomplish assigned missions within a joint environment in defence of Nigeria.

“To this end, it is my desire to sustain the current drive in confronting the current hydra-headed security challenges while improving personnel training welfare and professionalism in order to achieve the desired end state,” he added.

The former Chief of Army Staff, retired Lt.-Gen. Azubuike Ihejirika, said the Nigerian army had evolved overtime, adding that it had continued to contribute to the nation’s development.

Ihejirika, who delivered the inaugural lecture titled, “the Role of the Nigerian Army in National Development,” said the army and the military in general had been part of economic and political development of Nigeria.

He said the war college course was designed to develop the ability of the officers to think and come up with solutions to the intractable security challenges seeking for solutions.

He challenged the participants to develop ideas and strategies that would help provide solutions to the national security questions.

The Commandant of AWCN, Maj.-Gen. Bamidele Alabi, challenged the participants to assert themselves cognitively to add value to the solutions to the many problems of Nigeria.

Alabi said the course was designed to develop individual and collective cognitive capabilities towards a better understanding of the issues arising from a valid or certain complex, ambiguous and distorted environment.

He said the curriculum sought to emphasise the application of critical thinking skills with the intent of broadening the way the participants think, saying the content of AWCN was rich, and comparable to that of the best war college in the world.

“You will also need to sharpen your intellect, analytical skills and perceptual capabilities to enable you to effectively examine and proffer solutions to security issues.

“I am confident that this course will be academically rewarding for you the participants, beginning with the well package inaugural lecture today on the role of Nigerian army in national development,” he said.

The course 7/2023 has 73 participants comprising 62 from Nigerian army, two each from the Nigerian Navy and Nigerian Air Force as well as seven foreign participants from Benin, Cameroon, Liberia, Morocco, Niger and Gambia.

There are also participants from the Nigeria Police and other security agencies who would be participating in modules on inter-agency cooperation among others.

The course is expected to run for 33 weeks. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Salif Atojoko

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By Sumaila Ogbaje

Gov. Hope Uzodimma of Imo has urged Nigerians to enthrone honest and visionary leaders to address the country’s problems, including insecurity and corruption.

Uzodimma said this on Friday in Abuja in a lecture delivered at the National Defence College (NDC) with the theme “National Security, Strategic Leadership and Development: My Political Experience.”

“The trouble with Nigeria is leadership. In a less than two weeks, Nigerians will have the opportunity to make the choice of who will deepen the visionary strides we have seen in the last seven and half years as has been provided by President Muhammadu Buhari.

“That choice is entirely that of Nigerians to make. If we get it right, our story will change. As the saying goes: “as we make our bed, so must we lie on it”.

According to him, what Nigeria needs is a strategic leader who is honest, accountable, knowledgeable and visionary, with uncommon patriotism and love of the country.

“The presence of these attributes in a leader will dismantle the roadblocks of ethnicity, religious bigotry and corruption.

“It will inspire zeal and commitment from the citizenry and unleash the latent skills and industry in Nigerians, and development will flow unstoppably, just like a river does.

“Above all, it will make Nigerians proud of their country, and many more of us will be willing to die for our country.”

Uzodimma added that “the way forward in enhancing strategic leadership in governance as well as politics in Nigeria lies in transparent and accountable leadership”.

According to him, once a leader is honest, transparent and accountable, half of the problems in governance process are solved.

“A transparent leader will ensure the faithful implementation of the constitution, irrespective of his personal interest.

“An accountable leader will distance himself from corruption no matter how tempting. And a credible leader will be just in the exercise of power, ensuring that he leads by example,” the governor said.

He also said that Nigeria must tame the challenges posed by ethnicity and religion bigotry to make progress.

“When I addressed the challenges of effective leadership in Nigeria, I was emphatic that until we tame the twin evil monsters of ethnicity and religion, we may be dwarfed in our quest to achieve our national goals.

“A focused government must, therefore, identify and isolate these evils for it to satisfy the yearnings of majority of Nigerians.

“This calls for sacrifices. This demands the attention of patriots and statesmen determined to rise above the challenges holding the country down from fulfilling its destiny,” he said.

The governor urged the participants to be patriotic in their response to issues concerning the nation

“My esteemed officers and men, distinguished audience, I believe that the magic of good leadership or strategic leadership, is honesty, unwavering patriotic zeal, knowledge and vision.

“What Nigeria needs is that strategic leader who is honest, accountable, knowledgeable and visionary, with uncommon patriotism and love of country.

“The presence of these attributes in a leader will dismantle the roadblocks of ethnicity, religious bigotry and corruption.

“It will inspire zeal and commitment from the citizenry and unleash the latent skills and industry in Nigerians, and development will flow unstoppably, just like a river does.

“Above all, it will make Nigerians proud of their country, and many more of us will be willing to die for our country.

According to him, as complex and intractable as the country’s  challenges of insecurity and development may appear, it can disappear once there’s an honest and visionary leadership.

“We have seen how intertwined national security and national development are. So too are visionary, honest leadership and sustainable national development.

“This is so because a visionary and honest leadership will inevitably lead to an accountable and development-driven government, based on equity and justice.

“With equity, justice and development enthroned, ethnicity, nepotism, religious bigotry, separatism and other forms of divisiveness and associated criminalities will fizzle out.

“So, with a vision filled and integrity driven leadership, most of the challenges we currently face in the land will become a thing of the past.

The governor, who described himself as an incurable optimist, expressed the hope that “better days are ahead and the current season of fear and insecurity will come to pass, sooner than later.”

Uzodimma called for attitudinal change by both leaders and the led, so as to make the country better and peaceful.

He canvassed for collaborative efforts to address the security and other challenges in the country, stressing that the military should not be left alone to face the task.

“Nigeria Army cannot do it alone, they cannot alone bring the desired peace to the country, there must be collaborative efforts to ensure a peaceful nation of our desire,” he said.

The Commandant of NDC, Rear Admiral Murtala Bashir, lauded the governor’s efforts in providing exceptional and visionary leadership in his state.

He said that national security, political environment and strategic leadership are the bedrock of successful governance.

“As a strategic leader, you have to think of security and welfare of your people, you must have quality of a leader which include honesty, transparency innovation among others.”

According to him, a good leader must be patriotic, adding that strategic leadership and good governance go side by side.

He therefore said good governance was key to the overall development of the country.

Bashir also called for collaborative efforts to address the challenges facing the country.

“Everybody have a role to play in ensuring peace and security in the country,” he added. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Maharazu Ahmed

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By Ibironke Ariyo
The Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) said it would continue to strengthen E-border management and improve staff welfare for effective security across the country.

The Comptroller General, NIS, Isah Jere said this during the decoration of newly promoted officers of the service, on Friday in Abuja.

Jere said that NIS had taken necessary steps including deployment of technology in the discharge of its mandate.

He added that the service had strategically embarked on reforms targeted at enhancing migration management and service delivery.

“I like to state that Nigeria’s response to migrant smuggling has been broad and dynamic.

“Our statutory mandate as both law enforcement and service delivery agency demands that we masterly deploy our best hands across our service and operational windows.

“This is to ensure that we regularly and consistently make enduring impressions on the minds of those we relate with.

“We are leaving no stone unturned in our pursuit to excellently discharge our mandate through priority attention to human capacity development and timely promotion of officers and men,” he said.

Jere added that as part of the reform, NIS has been migrating to enhanced E-Passport and transformed the process of passport application and issuance.

“This was made possible by the introduction of a queuing system that enables passport applicants to choose an interview date immediately payment is made on the application portal.

“This is helping management to regulate the passport process while also allowing passport applicants get an appointment date at their convenience,” he said.

Jere charged immigration personnel to be active participants in all the processes and changes, to achieve measurable results and success in serving the fatherland.

On the recent promotions, Comptroller General said the exercise was a product of the officers high-level preparations, hard work, commitment, self-discipline, honesty, integrity and loyalty.

“Loyalty is the totality of the other virtues. Those who must command must first learn to obey.

“Your new ranks automatically place you in positions to make critical management decisions that will determine the fate of officers and men as well as the course of progress of the Service.

“As you wear your new ranks, your coordination, perspective and focus must be absolutely service centered, nationalistic, just and fair in all your dealings, to command the respect and loyalty of your subordinates.

” I urge you to consistently upgrade your skills in order to move at the same pace with the management,” he said.

Speaking on behalf of the newly promoted officers, the Service Public Relations Officer, Mr Tony Akuneme said that promotion comes from God, and a demand for more work.

Akuneme who was promoted to the rank of Comptroller pledged their continuous support to the service and the country at large.

“We will do our best to ensure that we put in more efforts to work and carry out our duties effectively,” he said.

Akuneme advised those not promoted to believe in God and be more diligent in their work.

Goodwill messages were delivered by representatives of sister agencies like NDLEA, Fire Service, NSCDC, NYSC among others.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that those decorated were 11 comptrollers promoted to Assistant Comptrollers General, and 53 Deputy Comptrollers elevated to substantive Comptrollers. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Deborah Coker/Maharazu Ahmed

By Oladapo Udom

The General Officer Commanding (GOC) 81 Division Nigerian Army, Maj.-Gen. Obinna Ajunwa, has called on the media to support the Nigerian Armed Forces and security agencies to achieve a free and fair election.

Ajunwa made the call on Thursday during a media parley with Defence Correspondents at Old Queens Road, Ikoyi, Lagos.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the general elections are scheduled for Feb. 25 and March 11.

The GOC said there was no better security than preventing violent occurences before they happened which could only be achieved by disseminating appropriate information at the right time.

“So, I urge the media to work with security agencies by sharing timely information so that we can move in and take preemptive action to make sure that no life is lost.

“I employ all of us to work together to give the nation an election that is worth the name democracy,” he said.

Ajunwa said that this was the last election that President Muhammadu Buhari would conduct and he had requested for all of us directly or indirectly to help achieve a credible election.

“The president has requested for all of us to help achieve a free and fair election so that his legacy can continue to ascend that position.

“As a statesman, he has desired to give us a credible election, having signed the new Electoral Act and told us in explicit terms what his desires are for the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“So, I urge us to work together for a free and fair election to be achieved, free of violence and rancour,” the GOC said.

He said that the society could contribute positively to ensure that the election went smoothly through the concept of ‘see something, say something’ which was for the purpose of enhancing security.

“Therefore, by extension, we are working for the security of the nation so, the security of the election is for all of us and not just for the Armed Forces alone.

“The Armed Forces are apolitical and we are going to work with whoever is elected by the masses for us to work with.

“Our duty is to make sure that no blood is spilled and that no persons ambition consumes the lives of anybody during the election,” Ajunwa said.

The GOC urged us all to ignore our personal desires and look out for how the whole society would benefit by making sure that nobody died during the election.

“The security agencies that have been saddled with the responsibility of providing security during the elections are not sleeping on their oars.

“We will ensure that those who are law abiding, simply casting their votes and waiting innocently will be provided with security to make sure that no harm comes to them.

“However, those who will want to thwart the system, will be dealt with decisively by security personnel on ground,” he said.

Ajunwa said that without security there was no development and without development there was no security, I therefore, urge us to work together to achieve same purpose as equal stakeholders to national issues. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Idris Abdulrahman

By Sumaila Ogbaje

The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Gen. Lucky Irabor, on Thursday expressed support for calls to review the Armed Forces Act to make it more professional and efficient.

Irabor expressed his support, at the unveiling of a book titled, “Fundamental of Military Law and Practice” authored by a retired military officer and lawyer, Maj. Mike Kebonkwu, on Thursday in Abuja.

He said the armed forces was a creation of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, adding that its conduct and activities were anchored on laws.

According to him, military practices, techniques and procedures are formulated from various laws.

“The principal one being the Nigerian constitution and of course, other legal provisions including the international humanitarian law, and international human rights law,” he said.

The defence chief said the book was essential because it would help the military X-ray some of its legal documents and activities within the armed forces.

He said the armed forces was anchored on discipline, adding that all actions or inactions of its personnel were from the point of view that there could not be an effective military without discipline which the law codified.

“I am glad that we are right on course and being a professional armed forces.

“On the need for review, there is no document that is foolproof and we live in a dynamic society, and so there are newer practices and behaviours right now which the drafters of the Armed Forces Act did not contemplate.

“This, we will eventually review to be able to make us more professional, and more efficient as an armed forces,” he said.

Irabor said the book would help the Armed Forces to be able to have effective military justice administration, adding that it would lead the military into some of the reasoning as to how justice administration had been applied in the armed forces.

He said there was also need for non-military lawyers to understand the basis of military laws which was anchored more on discipline to able to help the military maintain its standard.

He urged members of the armed forces to continue to improve on themselves beyond the rudimentary training courses and leverage on the various opportunities that the armed forces provided for them.

Former Chief of Army Staff and Minister of Interior, retired Lt.-Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazau, congratulated the author for the effort towards contributing to the development of military legal system.

Dambazau said the armed forces legal system was developing with remarkable improvement, noting that the author had proven to be efficient in the fields of law.

“So, I want to continue to encourage those who are interested in writing books, or writing articles, journals, such as what has been written, so that other people can learn from their knowledge and experience,” he said.

The author of the book, retired Maj. Kebonkwu, said the book raised a number of issues that needed to be reviewed in the Nigerian military laws.

Kebonkwu said there was need to review the existing military laws so as to do away with the colonial legal system that were still present in the nation’s military legal system.

He said the issue of summary dismissal needed to be reviewed to give any erring personnel opportunity for fair hearing and defend themselves.

According to him, there are two different forms of trial in the military, summary trial and court martial, which are two different things and two different procedures applied.

“For the summary trial, you do not require the presence of a lawyer most of the times. Also, it does not require that thorough detailed investigation by the military police which should be saddled with the responsibility of investigation.

“So, the armed forces empowers the commanding officer to dismiss a soldier summarily and of course, you see when you have that kind of situation, the person is not adequately represented by counsel of his choice as provided by the constitution.

“It is only fair that the person should be given the chance to have a counsel of his choice to defend him,” he said. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Deborah Coker/Salif Atojoko

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