 has refuted claims of the illegal detention of a civilian by its Military Police (MP) at the Minna Military Cantonment.){kind=link}
The Headquarters Training and Doctrine Command of the Nigerian Army (TRADOC NA) has refuted claims of the illegal detention of a civilian by its Military Police (MP) at the Minna Military Cantonment.
In a statement issued on Friday, Acting Deputy Director of Army Public Relations for TRADOC, Lt.-Col. Sani Uba, dismissed the allegations that had appeared in an online publication earlier in the week. The report claimed that TRADOC officers colluded to arrest and detain a civilian on the Commander’s orders, suspecting him of attempting to defraud a food vendor.
Lt.-Col. Uba emphasized the importance of correcting the misinformation that could damage the reputation of TRADOC NA and its personnel.
He clarified the facts surrounding an incident involving Miss Lynda Moses, a food vendor at the TRADOC Officers Mess, and a man named Deekae Sunday Kiaka, who was previously dismissed from the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) in Minna.
According to Uba, Miss Moses reported to the MP in September 2024 that a sum of N1.1 million had been fraudulently withdrawn from her First Bank account by an individual posing as a Sergeant from the NAF. Following her complaint, the MP apprehended the suspect on October 6, as the alleged crime took place within the cantonment when the suspect visited her business.
Further investigations revealed that Kiaka had been impersonating a serving NAF Sergeant despite his prior dismissal for similar fraudulent activities. Uba stated that Kiaka confessed to visiting the TRADOC Officers Mess to see Miss Moses and requested her mobile phone to play games while she attended to customers.
During questioning, Kiaka requested that the matter be resolved by the MP instead of being escalated to the Nigeria Police Force.
He signed an agreement to refund the stolen funds and was asked to provide a surety for the arrangement.
Uba also noted that Kiaka requested his phone to contact Miss Chiwendu Nnadozie, who identified herself as his fiancé and agreed to act as his surety. This led to revelations of Kiaka’s duplicity, as he was engaged to two women simultaneously.
The spokesperson criticized the media outlet, Independent Nigeria, for not thoroughly verifying the claims prior to publication and urged adherence to journalistic standards.
He expressed disappointment over the unprofessional conduct, which could tarnish the integrity of journalism.
He assured that the ongoing MP investigation would be forwarded to the police for potential prosecution.
Uba concluded by reiterating the commitment of TRADOC personnel to uphold discipline and contribute to the security and development of the nation.