Arms Scandal: Air Force to Retire Top Officials Implicated in Fraud Cases

 

There are strong indications that the Nigerian Air Force (NAF ) will, any moment from now , sack some of its senior officers over their indictment in the $2.1 billion arms procurement scandal and other corruption related offences.

 

New Telegraph’s investigation revealed that the NAF has already compiled the list of the senior officers to be given the boot, in the coming days .

Highly placed military sources said the looming retirement will pave the way for the officers’ prosecution by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), which has since been investigating some of the indicted officers .

The Air Force will be toeing the line of the Nigerian Army, which announced the sacking of about 50 officers on Saturday. Some of the officers to be eased out of service, according to a source, who pleaded anonymity, include: Air Vice Marshals (AVMs) A.M. Mamu, O.T. Oguntoyinbo, T.Omenyi, J . B. Adigun, R.A. Ojuawo, and J.A. Kayode - Beckley.

The list also includes Air Cdre A. O. Ogunjobi, Air Cdre G.M.D . Gwani, Air Cdre S.O. Makinde, and Air Cdre AY Lassa. “The process on their exit from the Nigerian Air Force has been concluded. What is left is formal announcement of their disengagement.

There is no way the indicted officers can stay in the force when they are being tried for corruption cases in court.

“Some of them have been arrested by the EFCC and kept in custody. Some of them have been detained at a military formation. So, there is no way they can be in the service.

There are other officers whose names were not in the list of indicted officers made public by the audit panel, but they have been found culpable in corruptionrelated offences. “From feelers , there are about 40 officers to be retired including eight AVMs. I’ m sure they will all be retired this month,” a senior officer in the know told New Telegraph.

The affected senior officers were indicted in the report of the presidential audit of the arms procurement between 2007 and 2015. Other officers indicted by the 13 - man panel are Maj - Gen. ER Chioba (Rtd), AVM I. A . Balogun (Rtd), AVM A . G. Tsakr (Rtd ), and AVM A. G. Idowu (Rtd).

The serving officers were indicted along with three former Chiefs of Air Staff (CAS ), namely Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh (rtd ), the immediate past Chief of Defence Staff (CDS ); Air Marshal MD Umar (Rtd ), who has opted for an out -of-court settlement in the N 4.8 billion alleged fraud, as well as Air Marshal Adesola Amosu.

It was further gathered that any of the officers , who may be convicted , upon prosecution, will go to jail losing their rank.