Group Alleges Lopsided Postings By Army

The International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety) has accused the authorities of the Nigerian Army of carrying out lopsided posting during its latest appointment and redeployment of officers.

It said it was deeeply dismayed by the new postings announced by the Nigerian Army, stating that the Army and the Presidency have continued to collapse the High Command cadre of the Army in the hands of Northerners particularly members of the Northern Muslim population.

The organisation pointed out that by the latest posting, the authorities of the Army scornfully and magisterially treated the general and privileged populations of the country and the country’s civil and military spaces as if they permanently belong to “a homogenous theocratic Islamic State”.

A statement issued by the Board Chairman of Intersociety, Emeka Umeagbalasi, said that the organisation was shocked at what it called Army’s latest lopsided postings involving Principal Staff Officers of the Army Headquarters, Corps Commanders, Commandants of Army Training Institutions, Brigade Commanders, Commanding Officers, among others.

It noted that out of 19 top officers and their postings announced, only three were Southern Christians while most of the remaining 16 were Northern Muslims, describing the development as unconstitutional.

“The latest postings by the authorities of the Nigerian Army are unconstitutional, unlawful, dictatorial, vexatious, illegitimate and undemocratic. The postings were specifically done in total disregard to Section 217 (3) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as amended. The Section clearly states as follows: ‘the composition of the officer corps and other ranks of the Armed Forces of the Federation shall reflect the federal character (geopolitical balancing) of Nigeria.’

“The postings were also done in grave violation of Section 219 of the Constitution and principles of indigenous involvement or participation by members of the country’s ethnic nationalities in the activities of the armed forces including senior and junior officers’ promotions and postings.

“Section 14 (3) of the 1999 Constitution was also observed in grave breach. By Section 14 (3): “the composition of the Government of the Federation or any of its agencies and conduct of its affairs shall be carried out in such a manner as to reflect the federal character (geopolitical balancing) of Nigeria and the need to promote national unity, and also to command national loyalty, thereby ensuring that there shall be no predominance of persons from a few States or a few ethnic or other sectional groups in that Government or any of its agencies”. By Section 10 of the Constitution, observed in gross breach too:

“The Government of the Federation shall not adopt any religion as State Religion”; and by Section 41: ‘discrimination of any form especially on the grounds of sex, ethnicity or place of birth in Nigeria and religion in conducting the affairs of the Government or any of its agencies including the Nigerian Army, is totally disallowed and prohibited,” he stated.