An army court martial has ordered the demotion of a whistleblower and former theatre commander of Operation Lafiya Dole, Major General Olusegun Adeniyi for speaking the truth and demanding for a better equipped military.
The court on Monday found Adeniyi guilty of violating military social media guidelines and ordered his demotion by at least three years.
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Adeniyi’s aide, Private Tokunbo Obanla, who was prosecuted alongside the general, was also found guilty and sentenced to 28 days in jail with hard labour.
Both convictions are subject to confirmation by the Army Council.
Adeniyi was said to have pleaded guilty to three-count of unlawful use of social media.
Adeniyi’s video highlighting military equipment deficiencies in the battle against Boko Haram went viral in March this year.
In the video, the commander complained to a superior officer, likely to be Army Chief of staff, General Tukur Buratai, how the Boko Haram had outgunned Nigerian troops.
He spoke about the poor intelligence, but said the troops were not running away.
In response, his superiors sent him back to school to be a research fellow at Nigerian Army Resource Centre (NARC) in Abuja.
His posting was among the dozens approved by Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Tukur Buratai.
This was despite reports that the commander had been one of the best in the 11-year war against Boko Haram, as he always led his troops to the battle front.
Adeniyi became the Theatre Commander in August 2019.
The Nigerian Army subsequently filed charges of military social media guideline violations against him.
Adeniyi had denied any wrongdoing, stating that he did not leak the video, adding that his phone was in Obanla’s custody at the time of the incident.
Obanla had in his statement allegedly admitted to posting the video on social media in error.
Adeniyi’s lawyers said they would appeal the judgment.
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