Yesterday, army authorities in Abuja confirmed that 60
lieutenants arrested over examination malpractice may likely face
court-martial.
Though the names of the officers involved
in the 'Lieutenant to Captain' promotion examination misconduct were not
known as at press time, army sources say 60 officers have since been
arrested and are currently being interrogated.
"60 officers out of
the 315 that sat for the examination are facing a military board of
inquiry consisting of military police at the 1 Division in Kaduna," the
source said.
The officers were said to have fraudulently obtained questions days before the date slated for the exams.
The
source revealed that trouble started when some officers who did not
take part in the fraud demanded the outright cancellation of the exams
on the grounds that only those allegedly involved in the fraud passed
the promotional examination.
A source also revealed that those arrested by military police were picked up in Akwa Ibom State.
It
was also learnt that even though the army authority sent out circulars
advising participants not to enter the examination hall with cell
phones, the alleged chief culprit, simply identified as Lieutenant
Taofik, was caught with a cell phone in which some of the answers to the
questions were loaded.
It was gathered that the officer bolted
away immediately after he was discovered with the examination questions,
but before then he had allegedly distributed it to his friends and
colleagues about 60 of them.
It was also learnt that effort is
being made to trace the route of the fraud but that the principal
actors, among who is the clerk have all fled from the long arm of the
law.
Following the incidence, the remaining 240 officers have
called on the examination officials, particularly the Training and
Doctrine Command (TRADOC) and the Army authority to move towards
cancelling the examinations as it does not encourage proper career
development.
Director of Army Public Relations Brigadier General
Ibrahim Attahiru confirmed the incident and said the army corps of
military police has stepped in to investigate the matter explaining that
anybody found culpable would face court martial.
He said a total
of 316 officers sat for exams in six modules and questions for one
module leaked. The module has been cancelled, he added.
He said
the examination which took place in Kaduna between February 10 and 15
was aimed at "assessing officers' knowledge on land and tactical
employment of a mechanized platoon up to combat team level and also to
expose young officers to practical methods and techniques of
administering men and material in peace and war."
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