The
final report of the arms probe scandal has been reportedly submitted to
President Muhammadu Buhari with the report indicting top government
officials, ministers and top military officers.
President Muhammadu Buhari
After 14 months of painstaking work, the Presidential Committee on
the Audit of Defence Equipment Procurement in the Nigerian Armed Forces
(2007-2015) has submitted its final report to President Muhammadu
Buhari, NewTelegraph reports.
It was gathered that Buhari received the final report at the
presidential villa on Sunday from the Air Vice Marshal J.O.N Ode (rtd)-
led panel.
NewTelegraph reports that a copy of the report which was made
available to the National Security Adviser (NSA), Maj.-Gen. Babagana
Monguno (rtd), indicted some influential officials of the
administration. Former ministers of defence, senior military officers, a
permanent secretary and top officials of the Ministry of Defence were
also indicted.
A former Chief of Army Staff, an erstwhile Chief of Defence
Intelligence (CDI) and some former service chiefs were indicted in the
final report. Some firms, which executed contracts with the Office of
the National Security Adviser (ONSA) and the Ministry of Defence, were
also recommended for prosecution by the Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission (EFCC) for various infractions.
The probe cut across the Ministry of Defence, Nigerian Army (NA),
Nigerian Navy (NN), and Nigerian Air Force (NAF). One of the sources,
who spoke on the final report, said: “I can reveal to you that the
13-man panel, which was set up in August last year, submitted its report
to the C-in-C on Sunday. “A copy of the report was given to the NSA,
having regard to the fact that he inaugurated the panel.
“The report is very weighty, as it indicted and recommended for
further investigation, a very officials in the current government, a
former minister, who was very influential in the last administration,
and a permanent secretary.
“Some top officials of a strategic ministry were also indicted and recommended for further probe by the EFCC.”
The source added that recommendations were made for the recovery of
huge sums of money from individuals and firms indicted. New Telegraph
learnt that some top government officials were indicted for “sharing”
money meant for procurement of equipment among themselves.
The arms panel established that the procurement processes were
arbitrarily carried out and generally characterised by irregularities
and fraud.
Before the final report,the panel had turned in two interim
reports, which indicted serving and retired military officers. Before
the final report, the 13-man panel had released two interim reports,
wherein it indicted a former NSA, Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd); former Chief
of Defence Staff (CDS), Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh (rtd); former
Chiefs of Army Staff (COAS), Lt.-Gen. Azubike Ihejirika (rtd), and Lt.-
Gen. Kenneth Minimah (rtd); and ex-Chiefs of Air Staff (CAS), Air
Marshal M.D Umar (rtd), and Air Marshal Adesola Amosu (rtd).
Other serving and retired senior officers earlier indicted were:
Maj.- Gen. E.R. Chioba (rtd), AVM I.A. Balogun (rtd), AVM A.G. Tsakr
(rtd), AVM A.G. Idowu (rtd), AVM A.M. Mamu, AVM O.T. Oguntoyinbo, AVM T.
Omenyi, AVM J.B. Adigun and AVM R.A. Ojuawo. Also indicted were: AVM
J.A. Kayode-Beckley, Air Cdre S.A. Yushau (rtd), Air Cdre A.O. Ogunjobi,
Air Cdre GMD Gwani, Air Cdre S.O. Makinde, Air Cdre A.Y. Lassa, Col. N.
Ashinze and Lt Col. M.S. Dasuki (Rtd).
Many contractors, former ministers and government officials are
facing prosecution in respect of the arms scandal. The panel had said at
the time that:
“The procurement processes were arbitrarily carried out and
generally characterised by irregularities and fraud. “In many cases, the
procured items failed to meet the purposes they were procured for,
especially the counter insurgency efforts in the North-East.
“A major procurement activity undertaken by ONSA for NAF was
that concerning the contracts awarded to Societe D’ Equipment
Internationaux (SEI) Nig Ltd. between January 2014 and February 2015,
NAF awarded 10 contracts totalling $930,500,690 to SEI Nig. Ltd.
“Letters of award and End User Certificates for all the
contracts issued by NAF and ONSA respectively did not reflect the
contract sums.
"Rather, these were only found in the vendor’s invoices, all dated 19 March 2015.” A statement by presidential spokesman, Mr. Femi Adesina, had said the Ode-led panel “comes
against the background of the myriad of challenges that the Nigerian
Armed Forces have faced in the course of ongoing counter-insurgency
operations in the North-East, including the apparent deficit in military
platforms with its attendant negative effects of troops’ morale.
“The committee will specifically investigate allegations of
non-adherence to correct equipment procurement procedures and the
exclusion of relevant logistics branches from arms procurement under
past administrations, which, very often resulted in the acquisition of
sub-standard and unserviceable equipment.”
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