The chief of army staff, Tukur Buratai has come under fire lately when it was revealed that he owned property with his wives in Dubai and it was speculated that the money was procured through illegal means.
The COAS has since come out to defend himself stating that he wasn’t part of any scam or scandal.
It seems that the federal government has now come to defend Buratai saying that he was transparent about the aquisition of the property.
The Minister of Defence, Brig-Gen. Muhammad Mansur Dan-Ali (rtd) in a statement signed by his Principal General Staff Officer (PGSO), Brig-Gen. Mohammed Sani Ahmed backed Buratai and said he was not involved in any wrongdoing.
The statement said “It is on record that Lt-Gen. Buratai has declared his assets as Commander of the Multi-National Joint Task Force and as Chief of Army Staff to the Code of Conduct Bureau. These facts are verifiable with the Bureau,
“The Ministry of Defence has observed with dismay the online media report of involvement of the Chief of Army Staff and his family over ownership of property in Dubai.
“It is noteworthy that there has been series of concerted efforts in the past by the same medium and its cohorts to tarnish the image of the person of Lt-Gen. Tukur Buratai for the reason best known to them, which failed to achieve their desired ulterior motives.
“The Ministry of Defence views this as an attempt by some unpatriotic and disgruntled elements to distract the leadership of the Nigerian Armed Forces from the successes of the war against terror particularly in the North East,” he added.
The Minister said that “while appreciating the role of the media in nation-building, it wishes to equally advise the media to exhibit a high sense of professionalism in the discharge of their duties ,especially when it comes to security and defence related matters”.