The immediate past National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki, has
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.
Mr. Dasuki, a retired colonel, was responding to a statement that
President Muhammadu Buhari had ordered his arrest and those of others
implicated in arms deal, was quoted by PRNigeria as saying, “I have
never been invited formally or informally to appear before the panel.
“I am therefore not only surprised but embarrassed by the seeming
indictment by the panel purportedly operating from the Office of the
National Security Adviser that never contacted me.
“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 of how we tackled terrorism and defeated Boko
Haram terrorists through our gallant troops and partners in the twilight
of the previous administration, 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. I even thought 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
government.
“I left Nigerians to judge.”
President Muhammadu Buhari had on Tuesday received the interim report
of the investigative committee on arms procurement with an order for
the arrest of all indicted persons in the arms scam.
According to a statement by the president’s Special Adviser on Media
and Publicity, Femi Adesina, the committee, which was inaugurated on
Aug. 31, was yet to complete its work. But its interim report unearthed
several illicit and fraudulent financial transactions.
“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.
It stated 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.
The report indicated that the amounts excluded grants from the state
governments and funds collected by the Directorate of State Services and
the Police.
The statement said the committee 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 dollars; N2,189,265,724,404.55 and 54,000.00 euros;
fifty Three were failed contracts amounting to 2,378,939,066.27 dollars
and N13,729,342,329.87 respectively.’’
According to the statement, the committee also noted that the amount
of foreign currency spent on failed contracts was more than double the
one billion dollars loan that the National Assembly approved for
borrowing to fight the insurgency in the North East.
It stated that the committee also discovered that payments to the
tune of N3.850 billion were made to a single company by the former NSA
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 statement noted 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 noted with disappointment that those entrusted with the
security of this great nation were busy using proxies to siphon the
national treasury, while innocent lives were being wasted daily.
“In the light of these findings, President Muhammadu Buhari has
directed the relevant organisations to arrest and bring to book, all
individuals who have been found complicit in these illegal and
fraudulent acts,’’ the statement said.
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