Army colonel jailed 7 years for defrauding Bayelsa Govt

The Nigerian Army on Tuesday convicted one of its officers for defrauding the Bayelsa State government.

The officer identified as Lieutenant Colonel David Ahangba was found guilty of two count charge out of the four counts for which he was initially charged, and was subsequently handed a seven year jail sentence.

Delivering Judgement at the end of its sitting in Lagos, the President of the Court Martial, Brigadier General Edward Nze said the officer should also refund the sum of N150 million to the Bayelsa State government.

General Nze urged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Military Police to ensure the money is recovered from the convicted officer and handed over the Bayelsa State government.

However, Nze said the decision of the court was subject to confirmation by the Army headquarters, which is the convening authority, adding that the officer serving the sentence automatically means he is dismissed from the force.

The convicted officer was arrested in 2012 following a letter from the late former National Security Adviser (NSA), General Andrew Azazi, which was directed to the Army headquarters, stating that the officer impersonated him to obtain money from the Bayelsa State Government.

The officer was alleged to have in October 2011, pursuant to 2011 gubernatorial elections of Bayelsa State, at Bayelsa Government House Yenagoa, suggested a project and received a sum of N150 million from the officials of Bayelsa State Government to the effect that it would be used as an inducement and influence on the then National Security Adviser (NSA) General Patrick Owoye Azazi to assist Governor Timipriye Sylva by causing the voters in the NSA’s community to vote in support of the said governor’s second term bid as Governor of the State.


Culled from The Sun