A Court Martial in Abuja has convicted the former Theatre Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole, Maj. Gen. Olusegun Adeniyi.
The report said the tribunal found Mr. Adeniyi, a major-general, guilty of violating some sections of the policy on the use of social media for personnel of the armed forces of Nigeria.
Adeniyi’s aide, Private Tokunbo Obanla, who was prosecuted alongside the general, was also found guilty and sentenced to 28 days in jail with hard labour.
The Nigerian Army had in July ordered Mr Adeniyi to face court-martial, four months after he was seen in a rare video confessing that Nigerian troops were being outgunned by Boko Haram terrorists.
The video which went viral on social media captured Adeniyi complaining that insurgents were outgunning troops, noting that intelligence failure was responsible for an attack by insurgents that claimed dozens of soldiers.
Section 15 (g) of the Nigerian Armed Forces policy released on June 11, 2018, on the directives of the Chief of Defence Staff, General Gabriel Olonisakin, specifically forbids personnel from “posting any video, audio, materials pictures during exercises/operations.”
Although Adeniyi had denied any wrongdoing, stating that he did not leak the video, he was removed from the front and also suspended by the military authorities with the Chief of Army Staff Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai commending him in on April 5 for successes recorded in the anti-insurgency war under his leadership.
Obanla who was in possession of Adeniyi’s phone admitted posting the video on social media in error.
Both convictions are subject to confirmation by the military authorities while Adeniyi’s lawyers have vowed to appeal the judgment.
