Major General Hakeem Otiki who has been standing trial for alleged stealing has been found guilty by a Court Marshal and dismissed from the service.
The General Court Martial headed by Lieutenant-General Lamidi Adeosun found the former GOC guilty on all the five counts charges filed against him.
The former GOC was charged for stealing N100 million and N160 million, money belonging to the Nigerian Army in count one and two and disobedience to Standing Order under section 66 of the Armed Forces Act (AFA),
His dismissal is however subject to confirmation from the Army Council.
At its sitting at the army headquarters garrison in Abuja on Monday night, the court martial found him guilty on all the five-count charges against him and subsequently dismissed him from service “with disgrace and dishonour”.
As part of his sentence he suffers a reduction of his rank to brigadier general with two years seniority on count three and severe reprimand on count four.
The panel also ordered that various sums of money, including $6,600, said to have been recovered from him be returned to the coffers of the Nigerian army.
The court martial is headed by Lamidi Adeosun, a lieutenant-general.
His trial started in September, 2019 amid intense drama at the sitting in Abuja.
He was the general officer commanding of the Nigerian army 8 division in Sokoto. He was said to have sent some soldiers to transport some cash to Kaduna by road from where it would be taken to Abuja.
A military aircraft was said to be waiting in Kaduna but the soldiers plotted to steal the money during a stop in Kaduna and subsequently deserted the army.
At his trial in 2019, his counsel, Femi Oyebanjo, a retired major kicked against his client’s prosecution under Adeosun’s leadership. He alleged that “We have it on good authority that you (Gen Adeosun) bear grudge against our client. We have this deep feeling that he may not get a fair trial under your leadership.”
Otiki hails from Ikorodu, Lagos State.
