So far President Muhammadu Buhari’s anti-corruption war appears to be in full swing starting from the investigation of controversial arms procurement contracts by the Office of the National Security Adviser. Rotimi Fadeyi looks at the accusations and the political bent being introduced into the on going saga.

This is certainly not the best of times for former National Security Adviser, NSA, Sambo Dasuki, a retired colonel of the Nigerian Army, who is being detained for questioning by security agents over a $2.1 billion arms deal which the government insists was a devise to loot public funds.

Dasuki, who was appointed by former President Goodluck Jonathan as National Security Adviser in July 2012 was the Aide De Camp (ADC) to General Ibrahim Babangida as Head of State. He was also a former Managing Director of the Security Printing and Minting Company Limited.

Following the change of power on May 29 after President Muhammadu Buhari took over government from Jonathan; Dasuki was retained as NSA but was later sacked in July this year with the service chiefs that were inherited from the former President.

This was few days after Dasuki had clarified the directive of the President on the dismantling of checkpoints, saying that Buhari never ordered the dismantling of all military checkpoints in the country.

The present travail of Dasuki started on July 16 when the Department of State Services, DSS, carried out a search operation on properties belonging to him in Abuja and Sokoto.

The DSS spokesman, Tony Opuiyo, said Dasuki was charged for possession of fire arms without licence punishable under section 27(i)(a)(i) of the Firearms Act Cap F28 LFN 2004.

The statement said the action was necessitated by credible intelligence, which linked him to acts capable of undermining national security. The search operation led to the recovery of a cache of arms and ammunition among other things and for which further investigation was conducted.

He was later charged to court based on evidence obtained. However, before the court could take final decision on the matter, Dasuki was put under house arrest even after the court ordered that he be allowed to travel abroad for medical treatment.

The former Security Adviser was under house arrest for some weeks until last Tuesday morning when DSS operatives took him to their office and began his interrogation over $2.1 billion arms deal scandal. There was also report of the arrest of about 22 aides and consultants to the Office of National Security Adviser (ONSA).

The action of the DSS followed the order issued by President Muhammadu Buhari that those indicted in the audit of the procurement of arms and equipment in the Armed Forces and Defence sector from 2007 to date be arrested.

Buhari had in August this year directed the office of the National Security Adviser, NSA, to set up a 13-man committee to carry out the audit.

Although the committee has not completed its work, a statement issued by Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina said its interim report has unearthed several illicit and fraudulent financial transactions.

The statement said: “On the authority of Mr. President, a 13 man committee was set up by the Office of the National Security Adviser to audit the procurement of arms and equipment in the Armed Forces and Defence sector from 2007 to date.

“While the committee which was inaugurated on 31 August 2015 is yet to complete its work, its interim report has unearthed several illicit and fraudulent financial transactions.

“As part of the findings, the committee has analyzed 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.

“So far the total extra budgetary interventions articulated by the committee is N643,817,955,885.18.The foreign currency component is to the tune of $2,193,815,000.83.

“These amounts exclude grants from the State Governments and funds collected by the DSS and Police. It was observed that in spite of this huge financial intervention, very little was expended to support defense procurement.

“The committee also observed that of 513 contracts awarded at $8,356,525,184.32; N2,189,265,724,404.55 and €54,000.00; Fifty Three were failed contracts amounting to $2,378,939,066.27 and N13,729,342,329.87 respectively.

“Interestingly, it was noted that the amount of foreign currency spent on failed contracts was more than double the $1bn loan that the National Assembly approved for borrowing to fight the insurgency in the North East.

“The committee also discovered that payments to the tune of N3,850,000,000 were made to a single company by the former NSA without documented evidence of contractual agreements or fulfilment of tax obligations to the FGN.

“Further findings revealed that between March 2012 and March 2015, the erstwhile NSA, Lt Col MS Dasuki (rtd) awarded fictitious and phantom contracts to the tune of N2,219,188,609.50, $1,671,742,613.58 and €9,905,477.00. The contracts which were said to be for the purchase of 4 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, 2 companies, were awarded contracts to the tune of N350,000,000.00, $1,661,670,469.71 and €9,905,477.00 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 and €9,905,473.55 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 findings made so far are extremely worrying considering that the interventions were granted within the same period that our 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. It is worrisome and disappointing that those entrusted with the security of this great nation were busy using proxies to siphon the national treasury, while innocent lives were wasted daily.

“In light of these findings, President Muhammadu Buhari has directed that the relevant organizations arrest and bring to book, all individuals who have been found complicit in these illegal and fraudulent acts.”

However, Dasuki denied ever receiving any formal or informal invitation to appear before an Investigative panel on the procurement of hardware and munitions in the armed forces.

The former Security Adviser said he has never been invited formally or informally to appear before the panel before the interim report which indicted him was issued

Dasuki said “For the record I am proud to serve my nation with the best of intention and ensuring the recovery of more than 22 local government councils from Boko Haram terrorists.

“Because of the pride on how we tackled terrorism and defeated Boko Haram terrorists through our gallant troops and partners in the twilight of the previous administration, that is the reason I have insisted on open and public trial of my stewardship rather than secret trial in the court as being canvassed by my prosecutors.

“I wish Nigerians will go back and reflect on what we did with even little or no supports from some countries, we performed miracles before the emergence of this administration. Even though the committee was to investigate procurement from 2007 to 2015, yet only my name is always being mentioned even when some of the issues were before I came into the government. I leave Nigerians to judge.”

Since his arrest by the DSS, Dasuki has been in the custody of security agents and have not been released or charged to court for the allegation regarding the arms deal.

However, there was a new twist when operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), arrested the Chairman of Daar Communications Plc, Chief Raymond Dokpesi and a former governor of Sokoto State, Attahiru Bafarawa.

They were alleged to have received huge sums of money from the office of the embattled former National Security Adviser for purposes which required explanations.

The spokesperson for the EFCC, Wilson Uwujaren who confirmed the arrest of Dokpesi and Bafarawa said investigations are still going on.

Dokpesi was said to have been arrested on the account of some money received from the office of the NSA under Dasuki to the tune of N2.1 billion

But while explaining what transpired during his interrogation by officials of the EFCC, Dokpesi said that the N2.1 billion he received from the former NSA was for the payment of media publicity for campaigns during the 2015 general election

In a statement signed by the management of DAAR Communications Plc, he said around 2.00 p.m. that day, the acting chairman of the EFCC, Alhaji Ibrahim Magu, through a telephone call, invited him to the commission.

“On getting there, I was requested to, ‘shed more light on some payments that were made to me through the office of the erstwhile National Security Adviser to the former president, Sambo Dasuki.

“I made my statement on the various media exposures and campaign transactions which were dutifully carried out based essentially on contractual obligations/relationship.”, Dokpesi said.

But the National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Olisa Metuh condemned the arrest of Dokpesi saying that the military style of pronouncement of guilt on Dokpesi before any fair hearing, betrayed the fact that he was a victim of political persecution and mob trial by the government of All Progressives Congress APC) because of his association with the PDP.

Metuh said, “While the PDP is not against the war against corruption, we insist that the crusade must be carried out within the limits of the law and not as a guise to persecute and torture opposition elements in the country.

“Our fear is that with the pronouncement of guilt even without being given the opportunity within his rights as a citizen to state his own side of the story, the President Buhari-led government is sidestepping the laws to ensure that Chief Dokpesi does not get justice in the court, a plot which they want to extend to other PDP leaders”

“The PDP therefore demands an open and public trial of all those arrested so that all issues and charges against them as well as their defence therein would also be in the public domain.

¨“We demand a proper investigation and lawful prosecution instead of the reprehensible resort to outright political persecution, which can only have a place in a military regime.

“We also note that this development may not be unconnected with the planned onslaught against the media, following its commitment in holding this dictatorial regime accountable since it took office.

“Finally, we call on the international community and rights bodies worldwide to note the growing impunity and gross violation of human rights by the President Muhammadu Buhari-led government tailored to decimate the opposition and cow the media in Nigeria,” Metuh added

For Bafarawa, the former Sokoto State governor was said to have been arrested by the EFCC in connection to the $2.1 billion arms deal because of some amount of money of about N4.6 billion that was traced to him said to have been collected for spiritual purposes

However, Bafarawa denied any involvement and allegations that were leveled against him. According to him, he knows nothing about the arms deal.

While stating his own side of the story through his former aide who served under him as Special Adviser on Youth and Students Matters, Alhaji Akibu Dalhatu, Bafarawa said he has no financial dealing with the former NSA nor collected any money from him for any purpose whatsoever.

Dalhatu said, “The former governor of Sokoto state, Alhaji Attahiru Bafarawa did not receive any money from Col. Sambo Dasuki for any arms deal or for any purpose”

According to him, he visited the former governor at the EFCC headquarters, saying that his boss was never arrested but merely honoured an invitation by the Commission.

There was another dimension to the arms deal saga with the arrest of Ambassador Bashir Yuguda, former Minister of State for Finance under the administration of former President Jonathan.

Yuguda was arrested by officials of the EFCC over some payments made to him for the purpose of arms procurement but which raised some questions on whether the arms were procured of that payment was made for another purpose.

But for Dasuki and those who served in the government of Jonathan as well as other associates that had been questioned by security agents over the $2.1 billion arms deal, the rule of law has to be enforced.

The interest of Nigerians would be to unravel the truth about the arms deal in the face of the raging insurgency in which thousands of people had been killed while valuable property destroyed.

The Buhari-led administration has always harped on the rule of law and due process which are entrenched in democratic setting where all the issues would be laid bare before the law court for the government and all those concerned in the arms deal to present their cases for judicial decision and for justice to prevail.

Seun,Lalasticlacla,Mynd44

http://nationalmirroronline.net/new/gale-of-arrests-trail-controversial-2-1bn-arms-deal/

Clamp down

Following with kin interest. After PDP which party is next?

After this reggae, don't play me blues...I need more reggae. I need prosecution. if possible, death by hanging for all culprits.

As for the war against corruption, I stand with Buhari. If you don't, go and take a look at your country on the world map, and you will change your mind.