U.S Lawyer Asks Buhari to Review Dismissed Soldier Case

Posted by African Examiner Latest Headlines, News Sunday, August 30th, 2015

A United States Lawyer, Ayodele Mayowa has appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to review the case of a Nigerian army, Emmanuel Ojo- Giwa who was dismissed for allegedly using the battery of a generator .

Ojo-Giwa

Mayowa Ojo, a US-Nigerian born lawyer begged President Buhari not to allow the case to be swept under the carpet.

A copy of the petition written by the lawyer, which was handed over to journalists in Washington, DC, also urged President Buhari to order the Army-in- Council to pay all his benefits from the day Ojo-Giwa was sacked.

Ojo-Giwa, was one of the Soldiers who went for Liberia for a Peace Keeping Service before he was dismissed after serving the force for fifteen years.

He was serving at the Ordinance Headquarters, Abati Barracks, Oju elegba, Lagos, when he was dismissed from the Nigerian Army on January 28, 2010, for allegedly using the battery of a generator in a retired army officer’s residence at 19, Ikoyi Crescent, to start his vehicle which broke down.

The US lawyer, in the petition titled’ Review, Reinstatement and Request For Payment of Past Benefits’ dated August 29, also copied Chief of Army Staff, Major General Tukur Buratai and Nigeria Army Director in charge of Administration, Lagos, Mr. B.G.A. Mohammed.

The petition read,” I, hereby introduce Emmanuel Ojo-Giwa to you. He had served Nigerian Army for fifteen years diligently. He went to Liberia for a Peace Keeping Service and was unjustly sacked for using the battery of a Generator of using the battery of a generator in a retired army officer’s residence at 19, Ikoyi Crescent he was mounting to start his vehicle which broke down.

“A termination of Ojo-Giwa from Nigerian Army should not be based on a minor crime having served the country, Nigeria for 15 years. He cannot pay his children school fees any longer. On this case, his wife, Efe also went to divorce him for failure to perform his responsibilities as a man.

“This is a kind of action that portrays Nigeria to a bad light among the comity of Nations. One man power was used to dismiss Ojo- Giwa. If he did not return the battery, that amounts to a stealing but he returned the said battery.

“I, however urge and appeal to President Muhammadu Buhari, Nigerian-Army-in Council to review the case, reinstate and order for all his benefits since he was unceremoniously dismissed from Army.”

It will be recalled that Ojo- Giwa was subsequently punished by the Nigerian Army authorities, which later set up a panel of enquiry to look into the matter.

Before the panel of enquiry started its sitting, Ojo-Giwa, who was about to be promoted to the rank of corporal but was denied the promotion as part of the punishment for the offence he committed.

Ojo-Giwa was later summarily dismissed from service.

Despite the petition written to the Chief of Army Staff and members of the National Assembly under President Goodluck Jonathan, Ojo-Giwa was not reinstated.

He therefore went to the court to challenge his unlawful dismissal before the case was struck out for ‘lack of merit’.