DSS operatives

Lt. General Azubuike Ihejirika (rtd) a former Chief of Army Staff (COAS)  has been arrested by Nigeria’s secret police, the  Department of State Services (DSS).

It was gathered that the former COAS was arrested at his Maitama, Abuja residence on Tuesday night and taken to the DSS headquarters where he was still being held as at the time of writing this report.

The DSS has not issued any statement on the reason it is holding Ihejirika.

But report by The Nation newspaper indicated that the retired General may have been arrested over suspicion of support for the Indegenous People of Biafra, IPOB, a group campaigning for excision of the South East part of Nigeria from the country as an independent republic.

There are also speculations that the former COAS may have been arrested as part of the ongoing investigations into alleged misappropriation of $2.1 billion earmarked for purchase of arms to fight the Boko Haram insurgency under the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan.

The Buhari administration is prosecuting the former National Security Adviser, Colonel Sambo Dasuki(rtd) and some serving and military chiefs over involvement in fraudulent arms purchase contract under the administration.