How Goodluck Jonathan Used State Aparatus To Harass And Intimidated Admiral Murtala Nyako Out Of Office

By Dan Munchi

The entire Federal Government of Nigeria machinery of state power was used by the former president Goodluck Ebele Jonathan to granularly, harass, intimidated and kicked out former Governor of Adamawa State Admiral Murtala Nyako out of Government House, Yola.

Goodluck Jonathan freely used the Nigerian Army, Nigerian Air force, NSCDC, Federal Government monetary resources in USD, Economic and Financial Crime Commission, (EFCC) Directorate of State Security Services (DSS) and every other available machinery of State was deployed and used against the then Governor Admiral Murtala Hammanyero Nyako because he questioned his Boko Haram war tactics which was resulting into heavy casualties and no results to end the war.

Many attempts were made on the life of the retired military General including withdrawer of his security details, closing all Adamawa state Government Accounts, by EFCC, soldiers firing sporadically near his house, low flying military planes causing panic to his family as the planes came very low to his house making huge noise on daily basis, military men trailing the convoy of Nyako, including soldiers stopping his convoy and asking “where is Nyako” when they could not see him inside his convoy.

The Nigerian Airforce was used by Jonathan to harass Admiral Nyako when he attempted to use the Yola International Airport to travel Air force personnel blocked the presidential wing of the Airport from 5am in the morning forcing Nyako to travel to Gombe by road to board a plane to Abuja.

Trouble started for Murtala Nyako when he went to the President an demanded that the methodology been applied in the fight against Boko Haram be reviewed because there were so many casualties from serving military personnel’s and the civilian populace while Boko Haram was busy advancing taking more cities having victories which was as a result of neglect or policy misapplication.

Admiral Nyako demanded that a new and more dynamic military policy be adopted in ending the war on insurgency before greater damage could be made.

The former Governor also demanded that a new policy guideline with high powered assault against the enemies be adopted to have the battle right to the centre of the epic theatre of war, Sambisa forest before the enemy would advance further.

It was reported that Goodluck Jonathan was irked by the demands of the then Governor but assembled his military top brass in assessing the blueprint of the formal Chief of Naval Staff. Nyako had a rosy military background before becoming the Chief Naval Staff Admiral Nyako had commanded some of the most sophisticated naval military arsenals, submarines, naval warships including Ambe the most sophisticated naval warship, naval helicopter Gun aircraft. Etc.

He also fought in the civil war, fought terrorists in the creeks, fought wars across many nations of the World before becoming the Deputy Chief of Defense Staff; Nyako had studied in Britannia War College. He acquired several military trainings to equip himself the requisite knowledge of a military general of no small means. His advices cannot be waved off with a hand but that was what Jonathan did.

But that was what happened after coming out of the meeting with his service chiefs Jonathan wave off the advice of Nyako and vowed that the former Governor will pay dearly.

The consequences was heavy as every move towards fighting Boko Haram made by Jonathan failed woefully including negotiating with a fake Boko Haram, group which demanded several billions of naira to end the war after the money was given to them it was too late to discover that the group was fake. Shekau came on YouTube video denouncing any negotiations with any group it was too late billion of Naira had gone down the drain.

Jonathan and his entire military high command were ashamed as Boko Haram kept advancing including taking over the town of the then Chief of Defense Staff Alex Sabundu Badeh shortly after the illegal impeachment in 2014.

Subsequently every military move taken by Jonathan on fighting insurgency was countered by Boko Haram, the situation became so deplorable that even Jonathan himself admitted that there was Boko Haram in his cabinet, in the Army, and everywhere in Abuja. The several bombings in Abuja attracted the attention of the world as foreign businesses began to leave the country claiming it was not safe for any business environment.

In the remaining months of the Nyako Government in Adamawa competent sources had revealed that Nyako again went to Jonathan with what some military experts said was a master plan any nation will jump at in ending insurgency but again Jonathan neglected it. Admiral Nyako was frustrated as the casualties of dead soldiers and civilians kept rising. He later made some utterances which angered Jonathan; he had said Jonathan was not serious in ending insurgency in Nigeria. An angry Goodluck Jonathan began subtle means of removing him from office.

During the unending PDP crisis including Nyakos disagreement with Jonathan on the methodology of the Boko Haram war in the Northern Nigeria region, Admiral Nyako again drew the ire of Goodluck Jonathan by taking 5 PDP Governors with Abubakar Baraje and Atiku Abubakar to form the New Peoples Democratic Party (NPDP) Goodluck Jonathan who was at the Eagle Square when Admiral Nyako went away with the five Governors to form the NPDP. The then President vowed that Nyako will pay for it so he assembled elders of the party like Olusegun Obasanjo, Abdulsalami Abubakar, Ibrahim Bagangida and a few others begging them to negotiate with Nyako who was the arrowhead of the group so that they could return back to the mainstream PDP.

After much negotiations they could not meet the stringent measures demanded by the Nyako led New PDP therefore, Goodluck Jonathan therefore deployed full military arsenal against Nyako and the group therefore had their offices invaded and closed down, many of them were been hunted down some were afraid like former Niger state Governor Alh Babangida Aliyu, former Jigawa State Governor Alh Sule Lamido, these people fearing for their lives reconciled with Jonathan but Nyako refused rather joining forces with then Magor Gen Mohammadu Buhari and Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu to start a realignment that gave birth to APC.

Admiral Nyako as a retired military general among them refused to return to the PDP but join Asiwaju Tinubu to form the All Progressive Congress (APC) Nyako vowed to fight to the end therefore he became the target of military attack.

The war on Admiral Nyako began in earnest as the former Governor of Akwa Ibom state, Godswill Akpabio after held a meeting with Jonathan and other PDP Governors vowed to spend all Akwa Ibom state Government money to ensure that Nyako was removed as Governor.

He immediately doled out N5B to the EFCC to share to the Adamawa State House of Assembly members for the purpose of impeaching the Governor.

When the EFCC made a sweeping arrest of the house of Assembly members it was not a real arrest but a ploy to give them instructions on the possible impeachment of Nyako. The money was given to them and hastily the then Speaker Ahmadu Umaru Fintiti returned to Yola and began inviting commissioners to appear in the assembly to give accounts of their stewardships this was just a ploy to show the Akwa Ibom state Governor that his money was working latter Goodluck Jonathan assembled the Adamawa state house of assembly members in Aso Villa and another N5B was reportedly given to them and they began the impeachment process proper.

The Adamawa State house of Assembly, came up with unfounded and wild allegations against Governor Nyako, which were a total fallacy and fabricated innuendoes akin to given a dog a bad name in order to hang it.

Meanwhile Goodluck Jonathan was using the entire machinery of the state at his disposal to hunt Nyako, Airforce military planes were always flying very low at Nyako’s residence in Yola, making heart breaking noises as they take their time to fly very low on his Benue River penthouse in Jimeta, Adamawa state. Unknowing to Nyako, Goodluck Jonathan had already placed him on wanted list as soon as the impeachment goes through he would be picked.

The Nigerian Army in Yola, the 23 Armored Brigade Command, Gen Gibson Jalo cantonment under the leadership of Col Victor Egbalema sent out heavily armed soldiers to take strategic positions in the capital of Adamawa state Jimeta-Yola and Mayo-Belwa the home town of Admiral Nyako, it was a complete battle that Goodluck Jonathan embarked upon against Murtala Nyako even his farms at Mayo Belwa was invaded by soldiers under the command of Jonathan.

Several months before the impeachment was completed yet all members of the then Adamawa state house of Assembly had several heavily armed soldiers attached to them protecting them while the Assembly complex was barricaded with heavy artillery gun fire and hundreds of soldiers were stationed inside the Assembly three months before the impeachment finally went through. Jonathan used everything at his disposal to illegally remove Nyako from office.

During those terrible months Admiral Nyako travelled to Madagali on his return a military check point stopped his convoy searched everywhere but Admiral Nyako himself was not found in the convoy and the soldiers asked ‘where is Nyako’ it was the first time that a military checkpoint will stop the convoy of a serving Governor but they were part of the decoy of Jonathans desperation in hunting Nyako.

The then Adamawa State Acting Chief Judge, Justice Ambrose Mammadi who was appointed by Nyako, went to the Aso Villa to hold talks with the presidency after returning he softened his hard stand on the rule of law and allowed the Assembly to have their way despite the fact that Nyako was not served personally as required by section 188 (3) of the 1999 constitution [as amended] he was served in Daily Trust newspaper and Leadership newspapers, respectively but the Adamawa Acting Chief judge considered that as proper service and he went ahead to set up the 7 man panel hastily despite the judgment and injunction he ruled against the house for wrongful services unheard of in the annals of the law Mammadi constituted the 7man panel.

Many people were surprised as he eats his own words and formed the 7 man panel in the state venue for the panel to sit became a problem as everywhere they went they were turned down. They went to the Nurses and Midwifery House, Labour House, the Nigerian Union of journalists’ House, NUJ and all Governmental houses but they were rejected.

After Goodluck Jonathan intervened in the matter, the minister of works in Abuja directed the Controller of Works in Yola to avail them the use of the conference centre at the Federal Ministry of Works, Federal Government Secretariat, Yola.

They deployed heavily armed soldiers and armored tanks to the venue which lasted less than one week after little or lackluster evidences from vicious Hon Wafari Theman and Hon Kwamoti Laori, deputy speaker and member representing Hong constituency in the Adamawa State house of assembly, were provided to the 7man panel.

The whole thing was a charade, predetermined verdict and a travesty of justice as the 7man panel convicted Nyako even before they started sitting and after less than a week they submitted their report to the Ag. Chief Judge, Justice Ambrose Mammadi.

Admiral Nyako had filed two cases objecting to the composition of the 7man panel but the judge look the other way and delayed hearing the Nyako cases, these two cases including objection to the allegation made against him because he was not given any of the alleged misconducts tabled against him by the house of assembly.

Justice Ambrose Mammadi looked the other way again and took the 7man panel report to the house of assembly which immediately impeached the Governor, the whole thing was in haste, aggressive, unconstitutional, legislative terrorism and aggressive legislation just to get Nyako out of office at all costs.

Many justices and seasoned lawyers faulted the whole process but Jonathan demanded the immediate impeachment of Admiral Nyako and when it was done there was a mild celebration in Aso rock villa as Jonathan, Akpabio and few henchmen clinch glasses to rejoice over the Nyako removal and immediately a dragnet was formed for the arrest and detention of Nyako over trump up charges of treasonable felony.

Admiral Murtala Nyako saw the handwriting on the wall when he disappeared into the ground and appeared in Europe escaping the evil traps that were set before him by Jonathan. Under the charges of treasonable felony Jonathan wanted to humiliate Nyako and convert his retirement from Nigerian Navy to dismissal, removing all Federal Government of Nigeria national honors like the GCON, and other honors bestowed on him for his meritorious services to the nation.

It was a well-orchestrated plan but the retired military general who was hunted like a criminal saw the handwriting on the wall escaped to Europe.

Goodluck Jonathan controlled EFCC had declared him wanted over another set of trump up charges in their desperation they also declared his son wanted. Admiral Murtala Nyakos son Navy Commander Abdulaziz Nyako a brilliant young entrepreneur who went into business immediately he retired from the Navy never held any government post but was declared wanted just to deal with Nyako that was the kind of EFCC under Jonathan administration.

Abdulaziz Nyako who is now an elected Senator of the Federal Republic had never held any government work but as part of the Nyako persecution EFCC declared him wanted while some of Admiral Murtala Nyakos wives were harassed and intimidated on several occasions by EFCC. Indeed Jonathan was desperate to get at Nyako at all cost.

When the 2011 elections came Nyako who was always on air busy fighting the political battle underground, he constantly aired his views on TV/Radio stations calling on the people to resist PDP and join APC and the ranks of the new APC swamped in Adamawa state and the North East making it possible to win the general elections in 2015. Nyako kept talking on BBC Hausa service, VOA, DW and phone in programmes at Adamawa Radio stations to advice the people why Buhari and all APC candidates must be voted into office enmass.

Admiral Murtala Nyako fought the PDP and Goodluck Jonathan from coming back for the second time through various means including daily long distance telephones to all districts heads, party chiefs, prominent personalities women leaders, youths, Local Government Chairmen and anybody important in Adamawa state and other parts of the Northern Nigeria so that APC can have a landslide victory. That efforts paid off as the APC won a landslide victory in Nigeria sweeping Jonathan and the PDP out of power his son also won the senate seat when he was in captivity.

Nyako, Tinubu, Buhari are the arrowheads of the democracy despite their harassment they braved the odds to form a government of the Talakawa at the central sending out PDP to dustbin.

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