The
Nigerian Army has explained why the men of the Army Headquarters Garrison,
Mogadishu Cantonment, Abuja, took over the premises of a company belonging to
Mr. Robert Azibaola, a cousin of former President Goodluck Jonathan on
Saturday.
The
Acting Director, Army Public Relations, Col. Sani Usman, said in a text message
that the land in question belonged to the Army.
Usman
said the Army decided to take over the property because the service did not
want any further encroachment on the property.
He
stressed that the Nigerian Army would not tolerate any encroachment on its
land.
“The
said property is on Nigerian Army’s land and the Army will not allow anybody to
encroach on its land.
“Consequently,
the property has to be sealed to prevent further encroachment,” he stated.
Soldiers
had taken over the premises of Kakarta Civil Engineering Limited, owned by the
former President’s cousin, located along the Kubwa/Asokoro Expressway on
Saturday.
The
company shares boundary with the Luigi Barracks of the Nigerian Army.
Meanwhile,
a Lagos-based lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana (SAN), on Sunday, called on President
Muhammadu Buhari, to caution the Nigerian Army for alleged arbitrary use of its
powers and use of brute force on innocent citizens. Falana made this call
in a statement, which he made on the heel of the invasion of the premises of
Kakarta Civil Engineering Limited on Saturday.
The
lawyer said the Army took possession of the property, owned by Azibaola,
without a court order.
He
said, “Sequel to the illegal action of the Army of occupation, the innocent
workers in the company have been sent to the unemployment market.
Although the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has charged Mr. Azibaola
to court for alleged criminal diversion of $40m from the office of the National
Security Adviser, he pleaded not guilty to the charge and has been granted
bail.
“The
implication of the plea is that he is presumed innocent until the contrary is
proved by the prosecution.
“Therefore,
if the Nigerian military authorities had wanted to dispossess him of the
property in question, they ought to have applied for a court order. But by
taking over the property under the pretext that it constitutes a threat to a
nearby military barracks, the military authorities took the law into their
hands.
“The
forceful seizure of the property should not be tolerated in a civilised society
which operates under the rule of law.”
Source:The Punch
Tags
Politics