The Nigerian Army has admitted its soldiers evicted Colonel Ugwoke (Rtd) at House 7 on Abakaliki Lane in Enugu but denied brutalising his wife and children.
The Director, Army Public Relations, Brig Gen Onyema Nwachukwu, in a statement on Thursday, said the earlier report about the incident was misleading, adding that the retired senior Army officer’s belongings were moved to his personal house at number 127 Park Avenue, GRA Enugu, to pave way for other serving officers to be accommodated.
He said the House 7 on Abakaliki Lane is among Federal Government houses accommodating Nigerian Army officers in Enugu for over two decades.
He said the house was allocated to Colonel Ugwoke (Rtd) then Major EL Ugwoke as his official residence, when he was posted to 82 Division Military Intelligence Brigade, then Intelligence Group as the Deputy Commander, 82 Division Intelligence Group in 2007.
The statement noted that the officer continued to occupy the house even after he was posted out of the Division, sequel to his plea that his family be allowed to remain in Enugu for convenience, rather than moving them from place to place.
“It is, however, later discovered that the retired senior officer dubiously used the official letter head of his office on three different occasions to solicit the monetization of the house through some officials of the Enugu State Government.
“In 2020, when it was observed that the retired senior officer was attempting to wrongly appropriate to himself, the official quarters (House 7 on Abakaliki Lane) which was still the property of 82 Division Nigerian Army through the State Government, a committee was instituted by then General Officer Commanding (GOC) to ascertain the status of the said property and the committee made the following findings;
“a. That House 7 on Abakaliki Lane GRA Enugu situated on plot R/30B old GRA Enugu is among the Federal Government properties occupied by the Enugu State Government and other Federal Government Parastatals and Agencies after the civil war. This fact is corroborated by the search on the property from the Ministry of Lands and Urban Development which confirmed that there was no record of ownership of the property in its archive.
“b. House 7 on Abakaliki lane GRA Enugu State was among the houses handed over to 82 Division by past administrator to ameliorate the accommodation challenges of the Division.
“c. That the said property was not among 26 residential quarters officially handed over to the Enugu State Government in 2015.
“d. That there are no documents to confirm that the said property was sold or paid for by anyone,” the Army spokesman stated.
He added that the NA officers occupying institutionalised houses are expected to vacate such accommodation while on posting or retirement.
“However, the retired senior officer failed to comply knowing fully of the rippling effects on accommodation status of other posted in and serving officers.
“In the misleading publication, it was alleged that the retired senior officer’s wife and children were brutalised, which is outright falsehood aimed at whipping up undue sentiments. It must be stated unambiguously that the Nigerian Army is a discipline institution with utmost regard for the family institution and the vulnerable, particularly women and children.
“The scenario painted by the writer is therefore a facade and should be taken with a pinch of salt. The ejection process was audio visually documented, as it was envisaged that such allegation could arise. Emphatically, neither the wife nor children were brutalized and no property was damaged in the process of eviction. The retired senior officer’s belongings were simply transfered from the house in question to his personal house at number 127 Park Avenue, GRA Enugu to pave way for other serving officers to be accommodated. This was after serving the retired officer three previous official notices and several appeal for him to vacate the property after his retirement in 2021,” he added.
He, therefore, called on the general public to disregard the publication as it was devoid of the actual facts of what transpired.
He restated that the Nigerian Army will not relent in catering for the wellbeing and welfare of its serving and retired personnel within the ambits of the law.