Daily Independent Online.
*
Thursday, July 01, 2004.
10 soldiers quizzed over security breach, released -
Agwai
By Chris Agbambu
Deputy
Bureau Chief, Abuja
No
fewer than 10 Army officers were quizzed and cleared by the Special
Investigation Panel (SIP) that investigated the security breach in March.
Chief
of Army Staff Lt. Gen. Martin Luther Agwai announced this on Wednesday while
briefing newsmen on the activities lined up for the 141 years of existence of
the Nigerian Army. He said very soon, everything relating to the breach
“will be put behind us”, as it is not an open ended affairs.
The
anniversary celebration is scheduled to take place in Bauchi next week.
Agwai
said he was not in a position to know how many people were arrested in
connection with the breach because he was not the person who set up the SIP.
But
he confirmed that 10 officers invited from the Army for questioning were all
cleared and have all gone back to their duties.
“When
the issue first happened and when defence correspondents asked me to speak on
the issue, I told them that I don’t know anything about that, because it
will be premature to talk on it, since I don’t have the details”,
he said.
According
to him, many civilians and officers from other services were invited “and
very soon everything will come to an end”.
He
said he is concentrating on reshaping and reforming the Army into a force
capable of meeting the challenges ahead, hence this year’s celebration
will be low keyed.
A
book on the contributions of the Nigerian Army to global peace and security
since independence will be launched today in Abuja.
Agwai
announced that no Nigerian officer or soldier was involved in the helicopter
crash that occurred in Sierra Leone on Tuesday, although all officers -
soldiers from other countries - including the pilot and the crew died in
the incident.
He
extended his condolence to the families of all those who died, saying
“this is one of the hazards of peace keeping”.
On
the situation in Bakassi, Agwai said the Army is not unmindful of the world
court ruling and the mixed commission set up by Nigeria and Cameroun, but that
Nigerian soldiers will remain there until all the issues are amicably resolved.
He added that the Directorate of Military Intelligence (DMI)
is on the trail of those who wear military uniform to perpetrate crime on the
highways.
