There maybe respite for a former General Officer Commanding (GOC), 8 Division, Sokoto, Maj.-Gen. Hakeem Otiki as military authorities are believed to be lobbying for a soft landing for the dismissed Army General.
Gen. Otiki was sentenced by a Special Army Court Martial headed by the Chief of Policy and Plans, Nigerian Army, Lt.-Gen. Lamidi Adeosun, which recommended his dismissal from Service and a step down in his rank after finding him guilty of stealing and disobedience to Service Orders.
The judgment was, however, subject to confirmation by the Nigerian Army Council, headed by the Minister of Defence.
It was, however, gathered that military authorities are making moves not to sacrifice Gen. Otiki who is regarded as one of the best infantry officers in the Army with a previously unblemished record as read after his conviction of the embattled Army General by Col. N. G. Mohammed, the Deputy Director Records, Army Headquarters Department of Military Secretary
Some retired and serving military officers who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Gen. Otiki is likely to get a reprieve at the Nigerian Army Council as he was not directly linked to the money stolen by soldiers but “had to be convicted to make the Army look good in the eyes of the public and also because of his role as the accounting officer of the funds.
One of the sources who was privy to everything that transpired, disclosed that “there were too much misinformation about the actual amount stolen by the deserting soldiers and the army authorities do not want to make it look like they are shielding one of their own before the public but the facts have now been revealed as N100million stolen and not N400million by the deserting soldiers.
“Otiki was only indicted using the Manual of Financial Administration for the Armed Forces of Nigeria (MAFA) 2017 because the funds, though being conveyed by soldiers, were deemed to still have been under his custody as the Chief Accounting Officer of the 8 Division of the Nigerian Army in Sokoto”.
His sentencing it was gathered by the Court Martial , has been generating controversy among the high echelon of the Military, with some of his colleagues insisting that his punishment should be reviewed correspond with the charges for which he was convicted.
Meanwhile Lawyers to the embattled former GOC have also disclosed that he is awaiting the final decision of the Nigerian Army Council before taking the next legal steps.