•Condemns appointment of only 3 Southern Christians and 16 Northern Muslims

By PAMELA EBOH, Awka

The International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety) has described the new postings by the Nigerian army as lopsided.

Expressing dismay at the new postings announced by the authorities of the Nigerian Army, the group observed that the authorities of the Nigerian Army and the Presidency have continued to collapse the High Command cadre of the Army in the hands of Northerners, particularly members of the Northern Muslim population.

The statement said the army is scornfully and magisterially treating the general and privileged populations of the country and the country’s civil and military spaces as if they permanently belong to, “a homogenous theocratic Islamic State.”

The group In a statement signed by the Criminology/Researcher, Board Chairman, Emeka Umeagbalasi, Obianuju Igboeli, Esq, Head, Civil Liberties and Rule of Law and others made available to News Express, expressed shock at the Army’s latest lopsided postings involving Principal Staff Officers of the Army Headquarters, Corps Commanders, Commandants of Army Training Institutions, Brigade Commanders, Commanding officers and others.

Intersociety questioned why only three Southern Christians were included in the list out of the 19 top officers, while the remaining 16 are Northern Muslims.

The statement partly reads: “It particularly saddens our heart that despite widespread public outcries in the East (South-East and South-South) against the flooding of the Region with senior Muslim officers and the high vulnerability of their crude soldiering in the Region to members of the defenseless civilian population and their properties, the authorities of the Nigerian Army have stopped at nothing by continuing to flood the Region with senior Northern Muslim officers.

“It is not only that no South-East officer from the rank of major general was among those in the new postings as a GOC, but another Northern Muslim Major General, (Aminu S Chinade) has been posted to 82 Division, Enugu as GOC.

“Intersociety had recently investigated and found that all the not less than eight former GOCs of the 82 Division, Enugu between July 2015 and January 2023 are Muslims including seven Northern Muslims posted to the Division as GOCs in quick succession.

“It was also found that more Northern Muslim officers are among those newly posted to the East. One of them is Brig General S Aliyu who was posted from Nigerian Army’s 6 Division Headquarters in Port Harcourt to 63 Brigade, Asaba as Commander. Other Muslim Brigade Commanders manning six out of the Eastern Region’s seven Army’s Brigade formations in South-East and South-South are Brig Gen Sani Suleiman, 34 Brigade Commander, Obinze, Brig Gen Adegoke Adetuyi, 14 Brigade Commander, Ohafia, Brig Gen Abubakar Wase, Brig Commander, 2 Brigade, Uyo, Brig Gen Danlami Ndahi, Brig Commander, 4 Brigade, Benin and Brig Gen Salidsu Yahaya, Brigade Commander, 16 Brigade, Yanagoa.

“It was also our finding that out of Nigerian Army’s seven Brigade formations in the East; five are commanded by Northern Muslim officers. Senior Northern Muslim officers also dominate the list of Army’s Divisions’ Principal Officers, Battalion, Artillery and Regiment Commanders and Commanding Officers in the South-East and South-South.”

Intersociety demanded the indigenization and allocation of posts of the GOCs of the 6 Division, Port Harcourt and the 82 Division, Enugu to senior Army officers from the East in line with Federal Character Act of 2004.

It stressed that the lopsided postings may escalate ethno-religious insecurity and threaten 2023 polls

It added: “The Nigerian Army’s new postings are not only ethno-religiously lopsided, but will also escalate ethno-religious insecurity and insurgency by giving one ethno-religious group an upper hand over other ethno-religious groupings including unhindered access to state coercive instruments and their massive deployment against asymmetric others which further breed grounds for violent self help and emergence of motley of armed fighting parties.

“Such grossly lopsided postings in a country of multiethnic and religious composition or groupings will at all times breed ethnic and religious divisions, fears and suspicions and general feeling of insecurity and securitization exclusion or feeling of “security and safety without local contents”.

“Such postings and their lopsidedness less than 45 days to the all-important 25^th Feb 2023 Presidential Poll also constitute a major threat to the critical poll and an indication of the Nigerian Government and the Military’s bent on anointing their preferred candidate as “the next president of Nigeria”.

Intersociety further said: “Lopsided postings is an impeachment of Nigerian constitution and other body of laws.

“The latest postings by the authorities of the Nigerian Army are unconstitutional, unlawful, dictatorial, vexatious, illegitimate and undemocratic. The postings were specifically done in total disregard to Section 217 (3) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as amended.

“The section clearly states as follows: “the composition of the officer corps and other ranks of the Armed Forces of the Federation shall reflect the federal character (geopolitical balancing) of Nigeria. The postings were also done in grave violation of section 219 of the constitution and principles of indigenous involvement or participation by members of the country’s ethnic nationalities in the activities of the armed forces including senior and junior officers’ promotions and postings.

“Section 14 (3) of the 1999 Constitution was also observed in grave breach. By Section 14 (3): “the composition of the Government of the Federation or any of its agencies and conduct of its affairs shall be carried out in such a manner as to reflect the federal character (geopolitical balancing) of Nigeria and the need to promote national unity, and also to command national loyalty, thereby ensuring that there shall be no predominance of persons from a few States or a few ethnic or other sectional groups in that Government or any of its agencies.

“By Section 10 of the Constitution, observed in gross breach too: “The Government of the Federation shall not adopt any religion as State Religion”; and by Section 41: ‘discrimination of any form especially on the grounds of sex, ethnicity or place of birth in Nigeria and religion in conducting the affairs of the Government or any of its agencies including the Nigerian Army, is totally disallowed and prohibited’.

“Details Of The Army’s Grossly Lopsided Postings: “Those affected in the redeployment include some Principal Staff Officers of the Army Headquarters, Corps Commanders, Commandants of NA Training Institutions, Brigade Commanders, Commanding officers and several others.

“Notable among the new General Officers’ Commanding (GOC) appointees are Major General I.S. Ali from Headquarters 3 Division to Theatre Command as the new Theatre Commander Joint Task Force North East OPERATION HADIN KAI, Major General AB Ibrahim from Army Headquarters Department of Training to Headquarters 3 Division as the new GOC as well as Commander OPERATION SAFE HAVEN, Major General AS Chinade from Headquarters 2 Division to Headquarters 82 Division as GOC, while Major General GM Mutkut is to assume command as the GOC 8 Division and Commander Operation HADARIN DAJI (NW) from Army Headquarters Department of Policy and Plan.

“Those newly appointed Corps Commanders are Major General CG Musa from Theatre Command to Headquarters Infantry Corps Centre as the new Corps Commander, Major General MS Ahmed from Headquarters Theatre Command (NE) to Headquarters Nigerian Army Armoured Corps as Corps Commander, Major General BR Sinjen from Nigerian Army School of Artillery to Headquarters Nigerian Army Corps of Artillery as the new Corps Commander and Major General PE Eromosele from National Defence College to Headquarters Nigerian Army Engineers. ”Others are Major General A. A. Ayannuga from Department of Army Transformation to Nigerian Army Cyber Warfare Command and Major General G.S. Abdullahi from Defence Space Administration to Nigerian Army Signals.

“Among the new Defense and Army Headquarters Principal Staff Officers are Major General S.E Udounwa who is redeployed from Army Headquarters Department of Special Services and Programs to Defense Headquarters as Chief of Defense Training and Operations, Major General SG Mohammed redeployed from Army Headquarters Department of Policy and Plans to the Department of Army Training as Chief of Training,

“Major General UT Musa from Headquarters 82 Division to the Department of Army Administration as Director Personnel Management, Major General Y Yahaya from Headquarters 31 Artillery Brigade to Department of Army Administration as the Director Manpower (Army) among several others.

“Brigadier General TI Gusau is also redeployed from Army Headquarters Department of Special Services to the Directorate of Defence Information as the new Director. The newly redeployed Brigade Commanders include Brigadier General AM Umar from the Office of the Chief of Army Staff to Headquarters Guards Brigade, Brigadier General S Aliyu from Headquarters 6 Division to Headquarters 63 Brigade, Brigadier General HD Bobbo from National Defence College to Headquarters 31 Brigade, Brigadier General MT Aminu from Army War College Nigeria to Headquarters 35 Brigade among several others. Source: Nigerian Army, Sat, 7^th Jan 2023.”

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