Army drags General to court over Buhari’s death rumour

Besides, Brigadier-General Lym Hassan, according to a report obtained from an online medium, which the Army authorities were yet to react to as at the time of filing this report, would face the court- martial on another one count charge of alleged demand of $600,000 bribe from OPEMS Integrated Concepts Limited. Although enquiry by our reporter from Army spokesman, Brigadier General Sani Usman, through text and calls were without response as a press time, it was learnt that the Army officer with enlistment number (N/826), will face prosecution by a military court-martial for falsely claiming that President Muhammadu Buhari had died when he was hospitalized in London on a medical treatment. Brigadier General Hassan, as gathered, was said to have equally demanded the $600,000 as bribe from a contractor in the Federal Ministry of Defence. The online medium reported that the Nigerian Army Headquarters has also preferred charges against the senior officer and is billed to appear in the military court any moment. According to the report, in the charge sheet, “the first of the two-count charge stated that Brigadier-General Hassan, in a phone conversation on January 17, told one Mr. Yarima Ibrahim, that President Buhari was dead.” The charge sheet, which it said was signed by Major-General JS Malu, and dated October 11, quoted Mr Yerima’s address as 2nd Avenue, EFAB Estate, Life Camp, Abuja. ” The alleged offense, the charge sheet stated, was “prejudicial to good order and service discipline” and amounted to a contravention of Section 103(1) of the Armed Forces Act (AFA) CAP 20 LFN 2004, “the report added. It further added:” On the second count, Brigadier-General Hassan was alleged to have, on February 24, demanded a bribe of $600,000 from OPEMS Integrated Concepts Limited. “The demand was allegedly made in respect of a contract awarded for the relocation of Nigeria Level 11 Hospital, Mali, to its permanent site in Timbuktu. “ The Army Hadquarters, according to the charge sheet, said the alleged offence” amounted to scandalous conduct and is a contravention of Section 91 of Armed Forces. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Defence has denied that the offence for which the General was being tried, had any link with contract in the Ministry. “The case of the said Army General currently standing trial at Army Court Martial has no connection with award of any contract by the Ministry of Defence, “the Minister of Defence, Mansur Dan-Ali, said. ]]>