Oshiomhole Clarifies Comments on Retired Generals and alleged Criminal Activities

Adams Oshiomhole, the former national chairman of the All Progressives Congress and ex-governor of Edo State, has denied claims that he accused retired military generals of being involved in illegal mining activities in Nigeria.

In an interview monitored by Radio Now’s Newsdesk, Oshiomhole criticised media reports, describing them as a “reckless, sweeping generalisation” and emphasising that he never made such accusations.

“And this is not fair on the part of those who report. At no time did I say retired general. I have many friends who are retired and who are suffering, who can’t change batteries in their car. They retire as pure military officers, they never do any quartermaster job, they never had any political exposure, even the days of military rule. So it would be as a matter of fact not correct to suggest to anyone that all retired generals are involved in a particular crime. It’s not sensible to say so. That would go down on reckless, sweepy generalization. That is not what I say. I say the problem is that some, and I still believe it to be so, I know it to be so. I said some retired generals are involved and somehow we are not deploying the same force as a nation that we deploy to protect our oil in the Niger Delta.”

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However, Oshiomhole did confirm that a retired general had shared a troubling report with him. The report allegedly suggests that some retired military figures are involved in kidnapping and banditry, providing weapons and training to those engaged in criminal activities.

“A retired general I had the honor of appointing and who graciously accepted to serve as a returning officer in the primary election when I was national chairman of EPC in his report back to me as chairman after presenting the report of the primary he said Adams you are worried about the primaries. What he has seen is far more serious than that and that the banditry that is evolving or kidnapping as it then was there was no use of the word banditry then. Now those kidnappers in the first instance are in the services of very powerful in his own word powerful some some powerful retired generals. The huge chopper this was a retired general telling me to the illegal site as they take the mined gold and whatever is it that they are mining they drop weapons.”

Oshiomhole’s comments have raised concerns about the involvement of powerful figures in Nigeria’s growing security challenges, though he stopped short of directly naming any individuals.