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| Sambo Dasuki, former National Security Adviser |
Former National Security
Adviser (NSA) Sambo Dasuki has made some “mind-boggling” revelations on the US$2billion
“phony” arms contracts, a source said yesterday. The Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and a Federal Government committee are
probing how huge sums of money meant for procurement of arms went down the
drain during the Dr. Goodluck Jonathan administration.
The Nation report continues:
An
interim report indicates that about US$2billion may have been disbursed for
inexplicable reasons.
Dasuki
was arrested on Tuesday by the Department of State Services (DSS). He was
transferred to the EFCC.
An
EFCC source said: “When Dasuki was brought in, he initially refused to write
any statement, alleging that he had been subjected to media trial.
“I
think the ex-NSA decided not to open up based on the advice of his lawyers that
he should leave everything for the open court.
“The
EFCC operatives, however, obliged Dasuki a copy of the statement by a former
Director of Finance in the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA),
Shaibu Salisu in which the latter made some implicating statements.
“Dasuki,
who was shocked by Salisu’s confessions, repeatedly asked: ‘You mean Salisu
wrote all these! You mean he said these! Give me a pen and paper’.
“Thereafter,
Dasuki decided to open a can of worms. He gave a long list of PDP chieftains
who collected money from the Office of the NSA.
“He
mentioned the names of a former Deputy National Chairman of PDP, ex-governors
and ex-ministers and many others.
“As
I am talking to you, Dasuki is still writing his statement. The
disclosures of the ex-Director of Finance in ONSA have assisted
greatly in getting to the bottom of the armsgate.
“So,
the investigation is still on. We will certainly arrest more suspects soon.”
There
were indications that the anti-graft commission may extend its probe to the
seizure of US$9million cash by South Africa and quiz all those involved
in the botched deal.
An
Israeli suspect implicated in the deal is said to have bolted after throwing a
lavish party at his Wuse residence.
Former
Sokoto State Governor Attahiru Bafarawa, AIT Chairman Raymond Dokpesi and
former Minister Bashir Yuguda were yesterday battling for bail.
It
was learnt that the EFCC was planning to arraign some of the suspects in court
to enable the agency keep the more than 22 suspects being interrogated in
custody.
The
EFCC is said to be mindful of a situation in which the high-profile suspects
will rush to court to seek the enforcement of their fundamental rights and
truncate the investigation.
A
source, who pleaded not to be named, said many suspects had admitted collecting
huge sums of money from the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA)
when Dasuki was in charge.
Said
the source: “Our investigators have isolated these areas of probe: Were the
funds budgeted for? If not, what informed extra-budgetary expenses? How much
was actually voted for arms procurement? How were the funds sourced? Who or
which agency awarded all the contracts? Who were the contractors? Was there any
evidence of delivery of equipment? What will make any Minister to run to ONSA
for funds?
“These
are the areas our detectives have been mandated to look at.”
On
other suspects, the source explained that some of the diverted funds had been
traced to a bureau de change owned by a former member of the staff of the ONSA.
“Some
Bureau de Change operators were accomplices of many of these suspects in
custody. We are tracking every transaction.
“On
daily basis, we will keep on inviting more suspects because the syndicate has a
complex networking,” the source added.
As
at press time last night, Bafarawa, Dokpesi and Yuguda were still battling for
bail.
A
source said: “We have not released any of them because they are clearing some
grey areas.”
Another
source in EFCC said the agency would extend its probe to the seizure of the
US$9.34m cash smuggled into South Africa.
The
cash was confiscated by the South Africa from an Israeli arms dealer of
Cyprus-based ESD International, who acted on behalf of the Federal Government
to procure arms for Nigeria.
Part
of the cash was for six “civilian” helicopters from a South African company,
Tier One.
The National Prosecuting
Authority of South Africa recently received a court permission to return the
cash to Nigeria.
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Dr.
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala
|
Okonjo-Iweala Denies Role In Arms Deals
The
Nation reports that former Minister of Finance, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has
requested the Federal Government to call Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole to
order over what she called efforts to link her name to the alleged US$2.1
billion arms issue.
A
statement from her media Adviser, Paul Nwabuikwu, said Mrs Okonjo-Iweala “has
absolutely nothing to do with the issue”.
Okonjo-Iweala described as
“an abuse of public office, the judicial process and her human rights for
Governor Oshiomhole whom she stopped from taking a highly suspicious ₦15
billion loan to make false allegations against her while hiding behind the
constitutional immunity granted state governors.”
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