More than six months after the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC launched investigation into alleged diversion and misappropriation of over N530 billion allocated for procurement and operations in the Nigerian Army between 2007 and 2015,
the Commission appears finding it tough with Army Generals under probe. As a result, the acting Chairman of the agency, Mr. Ibrahim Magu has come under immense pressure to back down.
The AVM Jon Ode (Rtd)-headed Presidential Committee on the Audit of Defence Equipment Procurement in the Armed Forces (2007-2015) had in a statement on Thursday July 14, 2016 recommended a number of serving and retired military officers for further investigation.
Among those listed for investigation are 18 serving and retired military personnel, 12 serving and retired public officials and 24 chief executive officers of companies involved in military procurement during the period under review. According to the statement, all were either accounting officers or played key roles in the Nigerian Army procurement activities during the period under review.
Those listed for further investigation include two former Chiefs of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. O.A. Ihejirika (Rtd) and Lt.-Gen. K.T.J. Minimah (Rtd); former Minister of State for Foreign Affairs II, Dr Nurudeen Mohammed and three former Permanent Secretaries in the Ministry of Defence – Mr. Bukar Goni Aji, Mr. Haruna Sanusi and Mr. E.O, Oyemomi.
Also, the CEOs to be investigated include Col. Olu Bamgbose (Rtd) of Bamverde Ltd; Mr. Amity Sade of Dolyatec Comms Ltd and DYI Global Services and Mr. Edward Churchill of Westgate Global Trust Ltd. According to the Committee, the total amount spent for procurement and operations within the period were N185, 843,052,564.30 and $685,349,692.49.
nvestigations by Saturday Sun reveal that, unlike in the cases of the Navy and Air force where indicted military chiefs were promptly investigated and arraigned in courts, the EFCC has come under immense pressure over the indicted Army chiefs, “as a result of which clues and leads in the investigation are not successfully followed to the end.”
A highly placed source in the Commission told Saturday Sun in Abuja on Thursday that “the Army Generals, whether serving or retired appear not ready to allow the Army face what the Navy and Air force have gone through with some of their chiefs now facing trial over defence procurement, and so they continue to build a wall of defence round themselves so that the case against some of them and their contractors won’t go to court.”
The source further revealed that the latest of such moves was from a highly influential former Defence Minister (Names withheld), who had also been a Chief of Army Staff during past military regimes.
Saturday Sun gathered that the EFCC last week arrested and detained a former Chief of Logistics at the Army Headquarters, Major General Daniel Kitchener; in furtherance of the investigation of a former Chief of Army Staff under President Goodluck Jonathan. The Army chief, it was gathered was questioned over procurements allegedly handled by him, Gen. Kitchener, who is a relation of the first wife of the former Defence Minister. Some of the procurement overheads include ammunition for Darfur operation, supply of training kits and equipment; purchase of 16MG and 29 RPG and 10 Grenade Launchers; repair of seven assault craft; repair service and upgrade of 29 Suncraft ; purchase of 15 Freefall Parachutes; buying of MRAP vehicles with maintenance containers; order of Radio Technologies Equipment; purchase of 10 APCs by DICON; 51 GPMG and sustenance of Operation Zaman Lafiya; emergency procurement of Combat Equipment for Ongoing Ops; Operation Internal Security; Quick Response Group and Forward Operation Bases; HE Type Mortal and purchase of bullet proof vests.
It was also learnt that after some three days in EFCC detention, the influential Army General was said to have put a call through to Magu to demand the immediate release of his brother-in-law. “With such call from such a powerful person, the Chairman had no option but to ask us to free the suspect, who was already cooperating with us, immediately and unconditionally”, the top official stated.
“The fact is that Nigerians won’t understand why the investigation of the Army contracts is taking too long, unlike that of the Navy and Air force. I just told you now some of the challenges but with the tenacity of the Chairman, we will crack this one too, it’s a matter of time. The Chairman came under worse pressure over the oil subsidy scam, yet we got it that, the Army Generals’ case won’t be an exception”, the source added.
Investigators also discovered that even though the lady was still a student in the United Kingdom, hundreds of thousands of Pound Sterling were wired into the bank account of a London based firm’s bank account for her. The firm, Carrington Whyte Consulting with Flat 4, Grove End Gardens 33 Grove End Road NW8 9LL London, as its address, was curiously registered around June 2014 and shortly after; the funds began to hit its bank account from Nigeria in torrents.
Though the Army General’s daughter is currently on administrative bail, she is however, expected to report back for further interrogation. “We had to study her last statements, juxtapose them with our findings and draw up fresh questions for her and with which we confront her”, the source explained. It was further gathered that apart from procurement contracts fraud, the retired Chief of Accounts and Budget along with the two indicted COAS will have to explain how billions of excess funds in Army salary accounts were diverted, withdrawn in cash and shared when they are eventually confronted by investigators, when and if EFCC is able to wriggle out of the current pressure to back down on the Army contracts probe.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Add a comment