KEY POINTS

• A dismissed NAF officer was arrested for defrauding a food vendor of N1.1 million.
• TRADOC denies allegations of illegal detention and defends its investigation.
• The accused signed an agreement to refund the stolen funds and faces further prosecution.

The claims that military police unlawfully arrested a civilian at Minna Military Cantonment have been refuted by the Nigerian Army’s Headquarters Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC).

According to the Army, Deekae Sunday Kiaka, the inmate, was a dismissed member of the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) who was charged with cheating a food seller out of N1.1 million.

In a statement, TRADOC’s Acting Deputy Director of Army Public Relations, Lt.-Col. Sani Uba, denied allegations of unlawful imprisonment. Uba said the accusations were manufactured to damage the reputation of the leadership.

Fraud case involving dismissed NAF officer

The allegations began when Miss Lynda Moses, a food vendor at TRADOC Officers’ Mess, reported to the military police in September 2024 that her First Bank account had been defrauded by Kiaka, who had impersonated a serving NAF officer.

Following investigations, Kiaka was arrested on October 6 when he visited Moses at her business location.

Further inquiries revealed that Kiaka had been dismissed from the NAF for a similar fraudulent act.

He was found to have impersonated a ‘Sergeant’ and had previously defrauded others under this false identity.

Confession and investigation

Kiaka acknowledged during interrogation that she had used Moses’ phone to steal the money by accessing her bank account information while posing as a game player.

Instead of involving the Nigeria Police Force, he begged for the military police to handle the situation.

According to Punch, he brought a reporter, Miss Chiwendu Nnadozie, to act as his guarantee and signed a pledge to return the stolen funds.

Kiaka was involved in a double romance, pledging marriage to both Moses and Nnadozie, according to the probe.

Following the conclusion of the military police inquiry, the Army promised the public that the case will be turned over to the Nigeria Police for additional prosecution.

Army rebuffs false claims

TRADOC stressed that the claims of unlawful detention were unfounded and intended to damage the command’s reputation.

Media outlets were also chastised by the Army for failing to fully investigate the allegations prior to publication.

The Army guaranteed the public that it would uphold discipline and safeguard the moral character of its soldiers.