Scandal: Army General Buys Multi-Million-Dollar Property in US

A report by Sahara Reporters has revealed astonishing revelations of massive corruption in the Nigerian Army. In particular, Maj. Gen. Erema Akerejola, Chief of Logistics of the Nigerian Army was found to own a million-dollar property in the United States.

The 4092-square-foot property was constructed just 8 years ago and contains 5 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms, reportedly paid for with funds stolen from the military budget. Akerejola’s wife, Moturayo, is thought to have owned the house to cover his tracks. His properties in the USA, taken together, are worth more than $10 million.

The matter of misappropriation of funds granted for arms acquisition and other military-related affairs came to attention in March 2021, when the then-National Security Adviser Babagana Monguno spoke of billions of naira that had gone missing from the military budget.

This triggered a massive fallout as over 5,000 soldiers in northeast Nigeria and other theatres of operation resigned from the Nigerian Army in the four subsequent years. Alleged reasons for this include intimidation by superiors, corruption in the army, and low morale.

This prompted the then-Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. General Faruk Yahaya, to decree that such motivations as ‘loss of interest’ and ‘low morale’ would no longer be permitted as the basis for voluntary retirement.

Most recently, a former Group Managing Director and Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Army Properties Limited, Maj. Gen. Umar Muazu Mohammed, was court-martialed for fraud and found guilty of stealing millions of dollars; he was subsequently sentenced to seven years in prison, and ordered to pay back $2,178,900 and N1.65 billion to the Army properties and NAPL.

These stories continue to expose the rampant corruption within the Nigerian Army and show that more steps must be taken to address the issue.

This news report was cited from Sahara Reporters.