By Uzair Adam
The Commander of the 3 Brigade in Kano, Brigadier General M.A. Sadiq, has been detained by military police in Abuja over allegations of diverting rice palliatives meant for soldiers and selling military equipment, including operational vehicles and generator sets, to scrap dealers.
According to sources, the Nigerian Defence Headquarters has distributed rice palliatives to soldiers in various brigades across the country on multiple occasions.
However, it is alleged that Brigadier General Sadiq provided only a 5kg bag of rice to the soldiers while selling the remaining supplies.
In addition to the rice diversion scandal, sources revealed that the embattled commander also allegedly sold equipment, including a MIKANO heavy-duty generator, from the Military Training Camp in Falgore, Kano, to scrap dealers.
Brigadier General Sadiq has been replaced by Brigadier General A.M. Tukur, the former registrar of the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA).
The detained officer is currently facing interrogation by the military police’s special investigation branch, and further investigations are underway. He is expected to face a court-martial once the probe is completed.
At the time of reporting, the spokesperson for the Nigerian Army, Major-General Onyema Nwachukwu, had not responded to inquiries.