Brigadier General M.A. Sadiq, commander of the 3 Brigade Kano, has been detained in a military police guardroom in Abuja over allegations of diverting rice palliatives and selling military equipment, including generator sets and operational vehicles, to scrap yards, Daily Nigerian reports.
According to anonymous sources who spoke with the paper, the Nigerian Defence Headquarters provided rice to brigades across the country as palliative support for soldiers. It was revealed that the Defence Headquarters distributed rice on at least three occasions to soldiers based on the nominal roll. However, sources allege that the embattled general only distributed 5kg bags once to the soldiers and sold the rest.
In addition to the rice scandal, the general allegedly took equipment, including a MIKANO heavy-duty generator from the Military Training Camp in Falgore, Kano, and sold it to scrap dealers.
It has been confirmed that Brigadier General Sadiq has been replaced by Brigadier General A.M. Tukur, a former registrar of the Nigerian Defence Academy.
“Brigadier General Sadiq has been detained in a guardroom and is undergoing interrogation by the special investigation branch of military police in Abuja,” a source said. “He was first summoned to Abuja for questioning, then immediately placed in detention. There are several allegations against him.”
The source added that Brigadier General Tukur has already taken command of the brigade and that “a full-scale investigation is ongoing, and charges will likely be brought against him at a court-martial.”
At the time of this report, the Nigerian Army spokesman, Major General Onyema Nwachukwu, had not responded to calls or messages.
Daily Nigerian
