…..Investigators set up to fish out perpetrators
From: Molly Kilete, Abuja
The last may not have been heard of the recent redeployment of 649, officers among them seven Major-Generals, 45 Brigadier-Generals and 597 by Army authorities who are said to have concluded plans to investigate how the document tagged “top secret” got to the public.
Top Army sources told Daily Sun that those to be investigated were mostly personnel attached to the office of the military Secretary, Army, located at the Mambilla barracks, who is responsible for the promotion, appointment and redeployment of officers in the Nigerian army.
Already, a team of investigators comprising mostly of personnel of the Nigerian Army Intelligence Corps(NAIC), have been directed to fish out those responsible for the dastardly act of betrayal which the army is not funding funny.
The team of investigators who are said to have commenced work to fish out those army authorities described as ” disloyal”, to the system, Daily Sun, gathered would soon pick up those perceived to have connived with their collaborator to leak the said document.
The investigators Daily Sun, gathered would upon completing their assignment are expected to hand over the suspects to personnel of Nigerian Army Corp of Military Police(NACMP), for possible prosecution before a General Court Martial.
Sources further hinted that the investigators may spread their dragnet to officers who got copies of the said document, that is perceived to have a religious, political, tribal and vindictive motives in some quarters.
Unlike the the Nigerian Air Force(NAF), that makes public names of newly promoted officers and new appointment of officers to the various units and commands of the NAF, the sources say the army may not have made the list public owe to ulterior motives which is now causing a ripple amongst personnel.
Sources say already, there is tension in the department of Army secretary as personnel now live in fear, as most of their phone lines, email messages and Whatsapp messages suspected to have been used to send the document are being tampered with by investigators.
The Army authorities have been enmeshed in scandals of lopsided promotions and appointments which forced the army church Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai, to issue a warning to personnel against leaking secret documents to the public.
Before issuing the warning, Buratai had organised a seminar for clerks and other personnel responsible for keeping records to educate them on how best to safeguard secret documents not to jeopardize national security and unauthorized disclosure of information, which is subject to official secret act.