By ALBERT AKPOR
LAGOS — The Nigerian Army declared, yesterday, that nobody, not even the army, is above the law. It, therefore, warned that any personnel who contravenes the law would have to face it squarely.

General Officer Commanding, GOC, 81 Division, Major- General Kenneth Minimah, gave the charge at the inauguration of a seven-man panel of senior army personnel to court martial four senior officers and seven rank and file. The officers  were accused of various offences ranging from murder to misappropriation of funds.

The panel headed by Brigadier-General Edward Nze is to submit its report within 60 days from the commencement of sitting.

On Col. Yusuf arrested on BRT lane

Minimah spoke against the back drop of the recent incident between Colonel K. I. Yusuf and a staff Sergeant A. J. Adeomi and Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State over unlawful use of BRT lane.

He said: “Nigerian and, of course, the military are not outlaws. We make the laws and we should be able to obey the laws. Nobody is above the law. In Lagos State, the laws including the one governing the BRT lane are made for the good of Lagosians and we are Lagosians because we reside in Lagos. If we get it right, it will be good for us, but if we get it wrong, it will be bad for all of us. We all have a responsibility to obey the laws. These laws are designed for our good. The BRT lane should be avoided because it is meant to be used by BRT buses and so anybody caught using it will have to face the full wrath of the law.

“And in the case of the officer, he would have to pay the fine whether he apologised to the governor or not; that is the law. We shall, therefore,  as a  military, continue to do our best to assist the state government in its pursuit of good governance for the people.”

Earlier, President of the Panel, Brig-Gen. Nze had said the officers and men standing trial would be given fair hearing, noting: “The officers and men standing trial are presumed innocent until proven otherwise. They will be well represented and are free to choose their representatives.”