Nigerian Army Fires Generals, Other Senior Officers Over 2015 Elections and Contracts

The Nigerian Army says some of its generals and senior officers have been retired by the Army Council. The retirements, according to a statement by Colonel Sani Usman, Army Director of Public Relations, were made on Thursday.

The statement described the affected officers as “some major-generals, brigadier-generals, colonels, lieutenant-colonels and a major.” And in explaining the grounds on which the officers were fired, the statement further said: “Their retirement was based on service exigencies. It should be recalled that not too long ago some officers were investigated for being partisan during the 2015 general elections.

“Similarly, the investigation by the Presidential Committee investigating defence contracts revealed a lot. Some officers have already been arraigned in court by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).”

The Army enjoined the Nigerian public not to read the development out of context. “The military,” the Army’s statement further said, “must remain apolitical and professional at all times. We must applaud and support this laudable and bold initiative by the government.”