Brig. General Aliyu Momoh

Nigeria’s minister of defence, Brigadier Mansur Muhammed Dan Ali has revealed that the Nigerian Army has ordered the voluntary resignation of Brigadier General Aliyu Momoh,  said to have headed a military operation to  rig the  governorship election in Ekiti State in 2014.

Saharareporters said Ali gave the information in an interview in Washington. He was in the US, as part of the entourage of President Muhammadu Buhari to the Nuclear Security summit.

Momoh was indicted by a military panel last year.

He led a contingent of soldiers and other security agencies  to Ekiti state in 2014, and militarised the election.

Soldiers not authorised by law to supervise the polls, took over the security, clamped down on opposition candidates and generally imposed a climate of fear on the electorate.

His involvement was blown open by one of his lieutenants, Captain Sagir Koli

There was money side to the  rigging as well.

Former Minister of State for Defence, Musiliu Obanikoro, was used as a conduit to transfer huge sums of funds for the rigging operation. Mr. Obanikoro, who faces a separate investigation for money laundering, reportedly used the corporate account of his son’s firm to receive more than N4.7 billion for the election. The funds were then distributed among Mr. Fayose, Senator Iyiola Omisore and security agents who carried out the rigging.