President Muhammdu Buhari Tueday night ordered the
arrest of the former National Security Adviser, NSA, Col. Sambo Dasuki
(Rtd), for allegedly siphoning billions of dollars earmarked for arms
purchases.
In ordering the arrest, President Buhari observed that the actions of
the erstwhile NSA brought the nation to international ridicule as the
failure to procure the arms incapacitated the military in the face of
the insurgency orchestrated by the Boko Haram sect.
Former national security adviser of ex-president Goodluck Jonathan, Sambo Dasuki . AFP PHOTO
The order was also extended to several others who were found culpable in the saga.
The development followed the release of the interim report by the presidential committee investigating arms procurement.
The president had on August 31 set up the 13 man committee to audit
the procurement of arms and equipment in the Armed Forces and Defence
sector from 2007 to date.
A statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and
Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, stated that Dasuki expended
$2,193,815,000.83 on arms, a figure he said did not include grants
received by the police and the Department of State Services, DSS, from
state governments.
The statement read thus: “As part of the findings, the committee has
analyzed interventions from some organizations 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 Six Hundred and Forty Three Billion, Eight Hundred and
Seventeen Million, Nine Hundred and Fifty Thousand, Eight Hundred and
Eighty Five Hundred Naira and Eighteen Kobo (N643,817,955,885.18).
“The foreign currency component is to the tune of Two Billion, One
Hundred and Ninety Three Million, Eight Hundred and Fifteen Thousand US
Dollars and Eighty Three Cents ($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 defence
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
(53) 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
Three Billion, Eight Hundred and Fifty Million Naira
(N3,850,000,000.00) were made to a single company by the former NSA
without documented evidence of contractual agreements or fulfilment of
tax obligations to the federal goverment.
“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
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 and €9,905,477.00 alone. This was without prejudice to
the consistent non-performance of the companies in the previous
contracts awarded.”
Adesina in the statement added that the former NSA also directed the
Central Bank of Nigeria to transfer a certain amount to accounts
domiciled in the United Kingdom and the United States.
“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”, the statement submitted.
vanguard
