By Jonathan Ugbal
An intelligence officer of the Nigerian Army attached to the 13 Motorized Infantry Brigade, has slumped and died in Calabar, the Cross River State capital.
The officer whom CrossRiverWatch gathered was a Staff Sergeant, is said to have been participating in the Exercise Crocodile Smile III; a training exercise for officers and soldiers and slumped at a hotel (names withheld) along the Akai Effa axis of MCC road on Saturday, November 10, 2018.
Eyewitness simply identified him as James. His colleague, a soldier too said, Staff Sergeant James, had appeared hale and hearty and participated in every activity of the operation in Bakassi and had been swimming from 4:00PM till when the incident occurred between 6:00 to 7:00PM.
He is said to have died before the Army medical team arrived the area.
When contacted, the Army Public Relations Officer in the Brigade, Captain Ngozi Okoro, did not confirm directly, but said the information was not going to help this reporter in any way as the Army did not say he was killed by anyone.
“What do you need the news for? You don’t need the news for anything. How is it going to touch anybody’s life? Army is not saying that anybody killed him. It doesn’t make sense to carry that news,” Captain Okoro said.
Meanwhile, CrossRiverWatch gathered that one Captain Dele who is said to be the Commanding Officer of the intelligence unit as well as one Major Iheagwu who commands the medical unit are trying to shield the information from being made public until investigations are completed.
Also, CrossRiverWatch gathered that the hotel personnel are being investigated to ascertain if they are complicit and ensure non had photographed the dead soldier.
When this reporter visited the hotel, the staff refused commenting on the matter and quickly walked away.
This is a developing story and CrossRiverWatch is following developments and will report as information unfold from the Army.