Immediate past Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh (retd.)
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has implicated the the
immediate past Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh
(retd.) in a N4.4 billion fraud involving the Nigerian Maritime
Administration and Safety Agency. It was authoritatively gathered that a
fresh investigation into a N4.4bn billion transferred from the Nigerian
Maritime Administration and Safety Agency into the accounts of top
officers of the Nigerian Air Force revealed that the money was diverted
into a private account.
According to the EFCC, the investigation was part of efforts to
ensure improved security in the Nigerian maritime sector on August 26,
2013, which led to the two agencies sign a Memorandum of Understanding
with the NAF with a view to providing effective air surveillance and
monitoring of the nation’s coastal waters.
The purpose of the MoU was for the Air Force to carry out aerial
surveillance, reconnaissance, search and rescue, tactical airlift,
enforcement and provide intelligence reports to NIMASA, which would aid
in the fight against piracy, illegal bunkering and pipeline vandalism.
While Badeh, who was the Chief of Air Staff at the time, signed on
behalf of the NAF, Mr. Patrick Akpobolokemi, who was the
Director-General of NIMASA, signed on behalf of the maritime agency.
This facilitated the transfer of billions of naira from NIMASA to NAF.
The EFCC has revealed that the money was diverted to private accounts
and was not used for the purposes it was meant. The source also revealed
why Badeh and a former Director, Finance and Accounting at NAF, Air
Cdre S.A. Yushau, were transfered from its Abuja headquarters to Lagos
last week.
Throwing more light on the alleged fraud, an EFCC source said: “We
brought Badeh and Yushau to Lagos to answer to fresh allegations. The
MoU that was signed by Badeh was for NAF aircraft to patrol the creeks
to prevent pipeline vandalism and illegal oil bunkering
“As part of the agreement, money was transferred to the Air
Force in two tranches – N1.4bn and N3bn – but the money was mostly in
dollars. But the money was not used for that purpose.
“Rather, the MoU was a conduit pipe to siphon money from NIMASA
to Air Force account and then to companies in which they had interests
or their wives were directors or signatories.”
According to The Punch, the source revealed that in order to divert
the money, NAF top chiefs set up some small oil companies under the
pretext that the companies were supplying aviation fuel to military
aircraft. Money was then paid into the bank accounts of these companies
but the fuel was never delivered.
The source added, “The money that was transferred from NIMASA
to the Air Force was for maintenance of the equipment and the fuelling
of the aircraft but the money, which was mostly in dollars, went
straight into the accounts of Bureau de Change operators.
“The money was changed from dollars and then returned to the Air Force men.
“They then set up dummy oil companies, which made it look as if
the companies were rendering services. They made it appear as if the
companies were supplying aviation fuel to the NAF, which is not true.
“Investigations revealed that the companies were opened in
readiness for money to be paid into their accounts. We discovered that
in these companies, these officers have interest in it or their wives
are directors or signatories to the accounts.” the source revealed.
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