BREAKING NEWS, Security
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President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered the arrest of Sambo Dasuki, a retired colonel and former national security adviser as well as others implicated by the committee investigating arms procurement between 2007 and 2015
PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari has ordered the arrest of those implicated by the investigative panel on arms procurement. President Buhari gave the order on Tuesday night after receiving the interim report of the investigative committee on arms procurement.
Femi Adesina, special adviser to Buhari on media and publicity, said in a statement on Tuesday, November 17, that the president issued the executive order for the arrest after receiving the preliminary report of the probe of arms procurement between 2007 and 2015 by the committee raised by Babagana Munguno, a retired major-general and national security adviser, NSA, on August 31.
The preliminary report submitted by the probe of arms procurement panel led by ON Ode, a retired air vice marshal, listed the many cases established against Sambo Dasuki, a retired colonel and former national security adviser, who is currently in a legal battle with the government over his intention to travel abroad for medical treatment.
A federal high court sitting in Abuja has ordered that he should be allowed to go for the required treatment, but the Department of State Services, DSS, said he must appear before the arms procurement panel to defend himself in connection with some deals he was allegedly involved in.
Dasuki was said to have declined to accept the letter of invitation, preferring to remain within his Abuja residence. He has not been allowed to travel abroad either. He is on trial for illegal arms possession.
According to the statement, the probe committee is yet to complete its work. But its interim report has uncovered several illicit and fraudulent financial transactions of some big personalities including Dasuki.
“As part of the findings, the committee has analysed interventions from some organisations that provided funds to the Office of the National Security Adviser, Defence Headquarters, Army Headquarters, Naval Headquarters and Nigerian Air Force Headquarters, both in local and foreign currencies,’’ it said.
The statement disclosed that so far the total extra budgetary interventions collated by the committee was N643.8 billion while the foreign currency component was $2.2 billion, excluding grants from the state governments and funds collected by the Directorate of State Services, DSS, and the Police.
The committee, the statement said, observed that in spite of the huge financial intervention, very little was expended to support defence procurement.
Besides, the statement said that the committee noted that the amount of foreign currency spent on failed contracts was more than double the $1 billion loan that the National Assembly approved for borrowing to fight the insurgency in the North East.
It said that the committee also discovered that payments to the tune of N3.850 billion were made to a single company by Dasuki without documented evidence of contractual agreements or fulfillment of tax obligations to the Federal Government.
“Further findings revealed that between March 2012 and March 2015, the erstwhile NSA, Lt. Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd) awarded fictitious and phantom contracts to the tune of N2,219,188,609.50; 1,671,742,613.58 dollars and 9,905,477.00 euros.
“The contracts, which were said to be for the purchase of four Alpha Jets, 12 helicopters, bombs and ammunition were not executed and the equipment were never supplied to the Nigerian Air Force, neither are they in its inventory.
“Even more disturbing was the discovery that out of these figures, two companies, were awarded contracts to the tune of N350,000,000.00; 1,661,670,469.71 dollars and 9,905,477.00 euros alone. This was without prejudice to the consistent non-performance of the companies in the previous contracts awarded.
“Additionally, it was discovered that the former NSA directed the Central Bank of Nigeria to transfer the sum of 132,050,486.97 dollars and 9,905,473.55 euros to the accounts of Societe D’equipmente Internationaux in West Africa, United Kingdom and United States of America for un-ascertained purposes, without any contract documents to explain the transactions,’’ the statement said.
The Presidency said that the findings made so far “are extremely worrying’’ considering that the interventions were granted within the same period that the nation’s troops fighting the insurgency in the North East were in desperate need of platforms, military equipment and ammunition.
“Had the funds siphoned to these non-performing companies been properly used for the purpose they were meant for, thousands of needless Nigerian deaths would have been avoided.
“Furthermore, the ridicule Nigeria has faced in the international community would have been avoided,” the statement said.
The committee further noted with disappointment that those entrusted with the security of the great nation were busy using proxies to siphon the national treasury, while innocent lives were being wasted daily.
— Nov 18, 2015 @ 17:25 GMT
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