Secrets Reporters
SecretsReporters has uncovered that a serving senior Nigerian Army officer, Brigadier General Adegoke Moses Adetuyi, who championed the arrest of Chidiebere Justice Mark also known as Justice Crack for allegedly spreading false information about the welfare and feeding of soldiers, is a director and shareholder in G4tress Security Services Limited, a private security firm incorporated in Abuja, in apparent breach of Nigeria’s strict rules prohibiting public officers from running private businesses.
Company records on the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) portal show that G4tress Security Services Limited, which was incorporated on 18 May 2012 with Registration Number RC 1034007, currently has an invalid status due to non-payment of annual returns and taxes. This default in statutory filings and possible tax non-compliance, by this company run by Brig Gen Adegoke can attract penalties and sanctions, and could escalate into a criminal matter if deliberate evasion is established.
Brigadier General Adegoke Moses Adetuyi is listed as one of the directors alongside Colonel Author Olukemi Peters (Retired), Oluwatosin Joshua Adetuyi, and Nneka Shirley Adetuyi – the last two directors are believed to be his family members. By maintaining ownership and directorship in a private company while in active military service, the senior officer has violated key provisions of the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act, Cap C15 LFN 2004, particularly Section 6(b), which bars public officers from engaging or participating in the management or running of any private business.
This practice contravenes Paragraphs 1, 2, and 6 of the Fifth Schedule of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended), which prohibit public officers from conflicts of interest and running private enterprises. Such actions constitute serious offences that can lead to trial before the Code of Conduct Tribunal, with possible sanctions including removal from office, forfeiture of assets, and disqualification from holding public office for up to ten years.
This lack of moral uprightness and flagrant disregard for the law raises serious questions about how a serving officer who is himself allegedly involved in illegal private business activities could have the authority or ethical standing to arrest or prosecute others for alleged crimes.
Adetuyi gained public attention when he was linked to the controversial arrest of popular social media critic and activist, Justice Crack. The activist was picked up by the Nigerian Army after posting videos highlighting poor welfare and feeding conditions of soldiers. He was accused of inciting discontent within the military and was later handed over to civilian authorities for further investigation on alleged cybercrime offences.
This SecretsReporters revelation raises fresh concerns about the extent of private business involvement by serving senior military officers and calls for urgent intervention by the military authorities and anti-corruption agencies to enforce existing laws without fear or favour. The case of Brigadier General Adegoke Adetuyi once again brings to the fore the need for stricter enforcement of the Code of Conduct for public officers to prevent abuse of office and conflict of interest in Nigeria’s security sector.
Efforts to reach the officer for his reaction failed at the time of filing this report.