Sacking Of Service Chiefs: More Than 60 Military Generals Set To Leave Service

The recent shake-up in the Nigeria’s military is set to sweep out no fewer than 60 senior officers from the armed forces.

Findings show that no fewer than 60 Generals from the three arms of the military are expected to retire.

This follows President Bola Tinubu’s appointment of new Service Chiefs.

The move, announced on Friday, saw Gen Christopher Musa removed as Chief of Defence Staff alongside other top commanders.

Lt Gen Olufemi Oluyede, who was until now the Chief of Army Staff, has been named the new Chief of Defence Staff.

While Major-General Waidi Shaibu was named the new Chief of Army Staff, Air Vice Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke took charge as Chief of Air Staff.

Rear Admiral Idi Abbas becomes the Chief of Naval Staff.

Major-General E.A.P Undiendeye retained his position as the Chief of Defence Intelligence.

Military sources said the reshuffle would trigger a major round of retirements among officers senior to the new Service Chiefs.

SaharaReporters had also on Friday reported that Tinubu sacked all the country’s service chiefs after an alleged coup attempt and the secret detention of 16 senior military officers by the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA).

Though the Presidency described the move as part of efforts to “strengthen Nigeria’s national security architecture,” SaharaReporters observed that the changes came after weeks of tension, suspicion, and internal investigations that pointed to possible disloyalty among key senior officers.

Despite the Presidency’s denial of any coup attempt, the latest shake-up has intensified speculation that Tinubu’s administration is facing rising distrust within the security establishment.

Reacting to the development, Babatunde Akintunde, a top official of the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID), accused the government of double-speak and deliberate deception of the Nigerian public.

“The President has sacked all service chiefs and appointed new ones,” Akintunde said. “This is coming after denying there was any ‘coup attempt’ while accusing the media of spreading disinformation. When we are done deceiving ourselves, we will face reality.”

The reports of the alleged coup were exclusively released by SaharaReporters on Saturday.

SaharaReporters gathered that the coup plotters are attached to the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA).

ONSA is led by Nuhu Ribadu, a lawyer and retired police officer serving as National Security Adviser to President Tinubu.

SaharaReporters gathered further the sixteen Army officers are currently being detained incommunicado by the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA).

Multiple military sources and family members confirmed that the detained officers, taken from the Army, Navy, and Air Force, have been held for over three weeks in an undisclosed location in Abuja under what sources describe as “unusual and suspicious conditions.”

One of the families told SaharaReporters that they initially believed their relative had been kidnapped, as there was no official notice from the military about his arrest or whereabouts.

“It’s been 18 days since those 16 officers were detained in an undisclosed location. At first, we thought our brother was kidnapped before finding out what transpired from his friend who works in the NSA office,” a worried family member told SaharaReporters.

“No official explanation from the military till date. None of the families has been allowed to visit or even call them. Everyone is scared about their present condition.”

The Defence Intelligence Agency, which operates directly under the Ministry of Defence, is typically responsible for intelligence gathering and counter-espionage — not for trying military officers accused of offences.

The agency’s decision to detain the officers, instead of referring them to their respective service authorities, has raised questions about legality and due process.

A security expert who served in the military for nine years told SaharaReporters that the DIA was overstepping its mandate.

“In the military, if an army officer offends, he is to be charged by the Nigerian Army directly wherever his or her unit is, because the dossier is with the Army. The same applies to the Navy and Air Force,” he said.

“We want to know when the DIA started handling cases of indiscipline. When did it become a military court?”

He added that if the military were truly conducting a disciplinary sweep, “over 10,000 cases” of alleged misconduct could easily surface, raising suspicions that the current crackdown is selective and politically motivated.

“Why only 16 officers? Why pick from all three services and then hand them over to the DIA? This doesn’t follow standard military procedure,” he added.  (SaharaReporters)