allAfrica.com                                                                               *       


Military Riot - Reps Summon Defence Minister, Azazi


Vanguard (Lagos)


NEWS
8 July 2008
Posted to the web 8 July 2008

By Tordue Salem


The House of Representatives yesterday summoned the Minister of Defence, Alhaji
Yayale Ahmed and the Chief of Defence Staff, Andrew Azazi to appear before it
on Thursday, over rioting soldiers who took to the streets of Akure, Ondo State
to protest the non-payment of peace-keeping operations' allowances to them.

The Chairman, House Committee on Defence, Rep. Wole Oke in an interview with
journalists at the National Assembly Complex, said the Committee would seek to
know why the Ministry and Defence Chiefs, allowed the situation at Akure,
degenerate to a ludicrous drama.



Rep. Oke (PDP Ijesha North-Osun State) said the House was dismayed that the
protest would come from an otherwise disciplined military.

According to the committee chairman, the minister and the CDS have been asked
to come before his committee on Thursday.

The rioting soldiers were reported to have shut down activities in the Ondo
State capital last Friday, while they hurled invectives at the Government for
supposed injustices.

According to the legislator, the committee was "shocked to learn that the
public protest was due to non- payment of certain allowances to the affected
soldiers"

He said the House committee would seek clarification from the minister and the
Chief of Defence Staff, before drawing a substantive conclusion on matter and
suggesting ways on how to avoid a future occurence.


  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright © 2008 Vanguard. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global
                            Media (allAfrica.com).
  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                       
Quantcast