Eugene Agha
25 October 2008
Lagos — The controversy surrounding the death of the Nigerian Army's former director of Public Relations, Brigadier General Solomon Giwa Amu, continued yesterday with his immediate younger brother, Chief Gabriel Giwa Amu alleging that he was actually killed by "the powers that be in the military."
The former Army PRO, who was also once aide de camp (ADC) to former President Olusegun Obasanjo died in an auto crash on February 18 this year while on his way to the Command and Staff College, Jaji, Kaduna State to deliver a lecture.
He was in the company of others in the car, but all other occupants survived the crash. The bus in which they were traveling ran into a bad portion of the Abuja-Kaduna road, killing the former Army PRO.
Though, his immediate younger brother said the death of the former ADC to Obasanjo, might not have actually been ordered by army authorities, he added that prior to his death he received a total of seven calls from people who claimed to be soldiers serving in Lagos advising him to warn his brother in the manner he defended the army high command on issues of unpaid allowances.
In an interview with THISDAY, Chief Amu, who is a lawyer said there was no way his brother, with his size, height and military training could have been flung out of the car that was involved in the auto crash.
According to him, the window of the vehicle which his brother was alleged to have been thrown out of was too small to contain a man of his size.
Chief Amu said: "I had the sad opportunity to look at the vehicle he was alleged to have died in. I am not saying this because there is anything to gain but I must say this for the sake of the army itself.
"One, there is nobody who can say seriously that anybody can die in those kind of circumstances because the car was substantially intact. This is the same car that was alleged to have somersaulted. The same car they said he was flung out through the window.
"The windows of the vehicle were too small to accommodate him. The windows were like that of small Hummer windows.
"So, when you look at the scenario, you wound be compelled to wonder how a man of that height, size and with military training, could have been flung out of the window like that.
"Meanwhile, the driver just sustained minor injuries. Now, I am not saying these things for him to be resurrected. He has died and has been buried. But I just want the military authorities to know that the action may not have been from the lawful authorities, but I am convinced he was killed.
Gabriel Giwa Amu emphasized that he was speaking for himself and not on behalf of the Giwa Amu family. "I speak as a brother of the deceased person.
"The issue of his death was a job badly done. They have to wake up to more skillful techniques. They can deceive other people but they cannot deceive me. We have paid the price for living as Nigerians.
"My brother was the former director, Nigerian Army Public Relations. I particularly remember that when he appeared on Channels TV during the Nigerian Army day celebrations; immediately after that interview, I got about seven telephone calls from persons who alleged, or claimed to be soldiers.
"They asked me to warn him and they gave me till Friday to do that, but the calls kept on coming and one of them went further to say that he (my late brother) was not the only one in the army and wondered why he had enjoyed so many lucrative postings.
"Then secondly, they said the position of the director of the Nigerian Army Public Relations was not his turn, and that other officers had lined up for that position."
Gabriel Giwa-Amu further said the callers also challenged the decision by the late Solomon Giwa-Amu to defend the increase in salaries of the police force at the expense of the army.
Chief Amu explained that all the threats against his late brother came after an interview he granted Channels Television.
He said he warned the late Amu about the threats but he did not listen.
On why he had waited this long to go public with his suspicions, Chief Amu said he was trying to put the bits and pieces of the information together and that he was also waiting to see what the authorities would do.
When contacted yesterday, the current director, Army Public Relations, Brigadier General Emeka Onwuamaegbu said the army would not want to be drawn into the controversy.
"It was a sad event. General Amu was a fine officer and was respected and I will rather his soul be allowed to rest in peace. I'm aware that he died in an auto accident, but I do not have details of the accident. He died in active service.
"Nobody has raised such allegations before. It is rather unfortunate that any family member would make such allegations. I will say that who ever is making those allegations is making false claims, because I know that Amu's family will never put up such claims. "
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2008 This Day. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
