Nigerian Army Has Buhari’s Academic Records, But........

The director of public relations of the Nigerian Army, Brigadier Olaleye Lajide, has dismissed reports in the Nigerian media claiming that the army could not find academic records of General Muhammadu Buhari (ret.), the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC). Brigadier Lajide described the reports as false.Major General Muhammadu Buhari in military uniformCorbis

• The military spokesman made the disclosure while responding to a text message from SaharaReporters seeking clarification about the status of Mr. Buhari’s records. Brigadier Lajide affirmed that the Nigerian Army is in possession of all records of serving, retired and deceased officers since its inception. He added, however, that all military officers are supposed to keep original copies of their certificates. 

According to him, in the event where an officer loses his or her original copy of records, the concerned officer must officially apply for copies from the army. He stated that the army responds to such requests in an expeditious manner. 

Brigadier Lajide told our correspondent that he was a former director of records at the Nigerian Army headquarters and had seen records of older and retired generals. He added that he was in no doubt that General Buhari’s records were intact.

Brigadier Olaleye insisted that the claim in a major Nigerian newspaper, that the army could not locate Mr. Buhari’s record was untrue.