Nigerian Army insiders told PREMIUM TIMES the victim of the robbery is Hakeem Otiki, the general officer commanding, 8 Division of the Army, based in Sokoto.
Sources said the soldiers were detailed on July 11 by Mr Otiki, a major general leading the military operation against bandits in Nigeria’s troubled Northwest, to escort huge cash to Abuja. The source of the money and exactly where it was being taken to in Abuja remained unclear.
It was learnt that after they escorted the cash from Sokoto to the Nigerian Army airstrip in Jaji, Kaduna State, the soldiers refused to load the money into a military jet that was supposed to airlift it to Abuja. They had conveyed the cash from Sokoto to Jaji in a convoy of a Toyota Hilux truck and a Buffalo gun truck.
The VIP (said to be Mr Otiki) was said to be in the white Toyota truck while the soldiers were in the gun truck during the roughly 400 kilometres journey.
According to sources, on arrival at Jaji, the five uniformed men — two corporals and three lance corporals — connived amongst themselves to share the cash. They then deserted military service, sources said.
“They also removed all their uniforms and abandoned their rifles in the vehicles at the air strip in Jaji,” a top military source with details of the incident said.
It was not immediately clear how much the cash was, but military sources estimated it ran into billions.
From premium times
General Otiki, not Mr. That arrogant dude was my boyfriend that year. I couldn't deal with his obnoxious attitude.
ReplyDeleteGenerals girlfriend ππΏ
DeleteHe was arrogant but you slept with him.
DeleteWas he generous to you?? Seems like he’s a thief too. If it’s money for Army business, it will not be in his hands. I say this because l have two Generals (rtd) in my family and we never saw cash oo.
No Slutty, that was years ago. He was a very single young officer then.
DeleteDapo is a decent officer.
DeleteAnon 17:56 I hope you know he's been married since 1995. He had a society wedding back then.
DeleteThis is Nigeria ππ
ReplyDeleteThey stole from a thief..... nothing wrong there.
DeleteThey will be caught soon..
ReplyDeleteHow possible?
DeleteYou think theyve not planned their escape ahead of time? Theyre already out of the country.
I pray they are caught but what happens to transferring the money to Abuja in the first place.
DeleteYou will a dunce to think they can run very far with such amount of money in cash.. @anon 17:43
DeleteVery true they will be caught , never mess with a top personality
DeleteIf the money was being looted by otiki or whatever you guys call him , I pray those guys are never found, correct heist.
DeleteThey will be on the run for so long. I guess they will be thanking their stars for being on duty that day.
ReplyDeleteOshe...awon 007.
ReplyDeleteThey took their share of the national cake, though I pray they are caught
Eyes wide open!! !
ReplyDeleteFeels like a scene from a guerilla action movie.
They've taken their own share of the national cake. Na wah!
ReplyDeleteEfcc should investigate Gen. Okiti on source of this billions.
ReplyDeleteThank you. I am sure they are on his tails already.
DeleteThe soldiers were fed up of being used to carry his loot and decided to help themselves. They will not even invest the money. Brukutu hangout.
The report never said it was Otiki's money, and if it was he won't be airlifting it in a military transport plane.
DeleteInvestigate him for what?
DeleteAs long as the margin between the rich and the poor continues to widen as it's currently doing, more stories like this will emerge. People who are paid to guard will turn to thieves. May God help us.
ReplyDeleteHow did the General come about that amount of cash? Don't we have single Treasury system now where you are only allocated money required for specified expenditure. I won't be surprised if this isn't the first time the soldiers have made such trips and decided enough was enough. For all we know, the money was to be air lifted to another country and now that this has happened, he is claiming it was headed to Abuja. Couldn't it have been airlifted from Sokoto to Abuja? How far is it from Jaji to Abuja? Normal thing would be to only use his trusted boys for such assignment so those boys know a lot and were probably hoping Oga will not report it but Oga may have decided to even blame them for all the other funds that have "disappeared" in the past.
ReplyDeleteThis is probably money they're supposed to use to buy sophisticated arms to battle boko haram but no, Otiki and other generals will rather take it in cash and share amongst themselves and let these soldiers be massacred on a daily basis.
DeleteLmaooo. Ole gbe, Ole gba.
ReplyDeleteO jα» bαΊΉ Γ³.
DeleteMa Niccurs! Y'all deserve mortuary standard Heineken or Henkel.
ReplyDeleteAnd oh, bill is on me! Move guys and never return!
Their Fada!!
Since when does the army deal with large amounts of raw cash for official, legally sanctioned reasons? It's certainly not for legal procurement, they're rules governing that. Please let's shine a light on the source of the cash.
ReplyDeleteAlso this story sound VERY fishy. So you're looking for 5 guys, you claim they absconded. But you didn't name them nor did you share their photos. Sounds like ghost soldier-thieves to me, Otiki should be scrutinized very well.
One or more of them probably saw 'Triple Frontier' and was inspired.
ReplyDeleteCorrect men!Take your share mbok.
ReplyDeleteOh dear!
ReplyDeleteThe more we look, the less we see.
I guess corruption is fighting back *PMB's voice*
God punish devil.
ReplyDeleteOle ja ole love,that is buhari Mr clean why airlifting money from kaduna why not from sokoto to abuja.,or air craft doesn't go from sokoto to abuja.ole pe ole ni ole
ReplyDeletedis 1 na serious...heavy igbese..oh!π·πΆπ°π°π°π°π°π°π°π°π°π°π°π°π°π°π°π°π°π°π°π°
ReplyDeleteDem don hit jackpot!!!
π♂️π♂️π♂️π♂️make dem just run..oh forever.
Early self retirement thinz from army. Lol!
These ones dem get sense plenty pass all those loosers coup plotter.
PRESS RELEASE
ReplyDeleteRE: Nigerian Soldiers On Escort Duty Abscond With Billions of Naira
The attention of the Nigerian Army has been drawn to some media reports fallaciously suggesting that billions of Naira was carted away by troops on Operation HARBIN KUNAMA 111 Sokoto assigned to escort Very Important Personality (VIP) to Kaduna.
Accordingl to the wrong media report - "Some personnel of the Nigerian Army absconded with "billions of naira" while on escort duty",
While it was true the personnel have absconded with large amounts of money belonging to a VIP they were assigned to escort to Kaduna, the exact amount is not known to 8 Division Nigerian Army or the then General Officer Commanding (GOC) the Division, Major General HO Otiki as was fallaciously imputed in some unverified media reports.
It should be important to clarify that neither the GOC or any personnel of the Division is aware of the exact amount of money in possession of the VIP at the time of this uncommon, embrassing, obnoxious and painful incident. It is only the person involved (the VIP) that knows the total amount involved and disclose to the media if need be.
In the face of this disgraceful, embrassing and unimaginable professional infraction by the five soldiers, who conived and orchestrated the robbery and thereafter deserted/ absconded, the Nigerian Army authority has on receiving the report, constituted a high powerered committee to holistically, thoroughly and decisively investigate the sad incident.
For record and posterity, this was what happened and has since been reported to all the Nigerian Army formations and units and the public for awareness and possible arrest of the criminals when seen:
"The under listed 5 soldiers of operation HARBIN KUNAMA III Sokoto were detailed on escort duty from Sokoto to Kaduna at about 1500 hours on 11th July 2019. The VIP was in a white Hilux, while the escorts were in a Buffalo gun truck. The soldiers conived and robbed the VIP at gun point on their way to Kaduna. They however abandoned the gun truck at the airstrip in Jaji. They have since scattered in different directions including Jos, Suleja etc as indicated in last geoloc tracking".
"Nigerians are by this notice advised to intercept the following individuals or report them to any police station:
1. Cpl Gabriel Oluwaniyi 07083502341 08063406601.
2. Cpl Mohammed Aminu 07034619455.
3. LCpl Commander Haruna 08039594638.
4 LCpl Oluji Joshua 08137622689.
5. LCpl Hayatudeen 08033756986.
All the above listed 5 soldiers were attached from Infantry Corp Centre Jaji".
All formations and units of the Nigerian Army have been alerted and requested to direct their men to be on the look out for these 5 deserting and disgraceful soldiers. They are to be apprehended and handed over to 8 Div Provost Group for prompt action/ prosecution.
The Nigerian Army as a respected institution, under the able leadership of Lieutenant General Tukur Yusufu Buratai, will do all that is necessary to fish out these criminals. Such kinds of individuals, once discovered, - have no place in today's Nigerian Army.
SAGIR MUSA
Colonel
Acting Director Army Public Relations
15 July 2019
Good development not only a selected few be chopping all the money.
ReplyDeleteIf u see the billions this escorts move around for politicians when themselves they can't even pay fees or have a decent meal.if they stole from a thief,then the equation is balanced
ReplyDeleteBillions of naira in cash, where are they moving it to? Cunny man die,cunny man bury am
ReplyDelete