Ex-Army Chief, Ihejirika, not arrested - Family

Reports of the alleged arrest of former Chief of Army Staff, Gen. Az­ubuike Ihejirika, which went viral on the social media on Wednesday, have been refuted by his family.

The reports had claimed that Gen. Ihejirika was arrested in his Abuja residence on Tues­day night by operatives of the Department of State Security (DSS) over his alleged role in the controversial arms deal saga.

But a member of Ihejirika’s family told The AUTHORITY last night that the former Army Chief was not arrested as is be­ing speculated in some quarters.

According to the family source, the ex-Army boss had never been invited for interro­gation by any security agency over any financial scam since he retired from the Nigerian Army.

The source, who pleaded anonymity, said Ihejirika served Nigeria meritoriously and kept a clean record and “therefore has no cause to be hunted by any anti-graft agency.”

Instead of being vilified in the media, the source said that Gen. Ihejirika should be re­warded and honoured for ren­dering selfless service to the country and instilling discipline and professionalism in the Ni­gerian Army when he was the COAS.

“He put his life on the line to combat Boko Haram terrorists and to ensure the protection of Nigeria’s territorial integrity. So, as one who sacrificed so much for his country, he deserves hon­our and not harassment,” the family said.