Channels interview: DHQ denies reports of FG declaring retired naval officer wanted

The Defence Headquarters says no security agency has declared Commodore Kunle Olawunmi (retd.), wanted over his comments during a recent interview with Channels Television.

Olawunmi had said on Wednesday when he featured on Sunrise Daily, a Channels Television programme, that some government officials were involved in sponsoring insurgency.

The retired naval officer, who is currently the head of the Department of Criminology and Security Studies at Chrisland University, alleged that some insurgents arrested had mentioned the names of some government officials as their supporters.

He had said, “You remember this Boko Haram issue started in 2012 and I was in the military intelligence at that time. We arrested those people. My organisation actually conducted interrogation and they (suspects) mentioned names.

“I can’t come on air and start mentioning names of people that are presently in government that I know that the boys that we arrested mentioned. Some of them are governors now; some of them are in the Senate; some of them are in the Aso Rock.”

There were unconfirmed reports that Olawunmi had been declared wanted by the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA).

But the DHQ spokesman, Benjamin Sawyerr, denied the reports, saying, “There is nothing like that. There is no time that the DIA ordered the arrest of the naval officer. He went on Channels Television and said a lot of things. So, someone in intelligence called him and asked him to come on Tuesday and share his information,” Sawyerr told TheCable.

“The military does not issue warrant of arrest. Only a court can order an arrest. The former officer spent a lot of time at the interview. If they wanted to arrest him, they would have done so. No one invites someone just to arrest them.”

The development comes days after the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) issued a letter of query to Channels Television over a recent interview with Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, over the Federal Government’s decision to review grazing reserves.