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| Some of the top military officers |
Indications emerged, weekend, that some of the 18 ex-service chiefs being investigated over the $2.1billion arms procurement deal, may have been placed under house arrest. President Buhari had on Friday directed the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, FCC to carry out full investigations into the alleged misconduct established against some retired and serving officers of the Nigerian Air Force and Nigerian Army over the deal that frustrated the war against the Boko Haram insurgency in the North Central.
Those affected in the order include embattled former National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd.); former Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh (retd.); and two former Chiefs of Air Staff, Air Marshal MD Umar (retd.) and Air Marshal Adesola Amosun (retd.).
Nigerian Pilot investigations revealed that the house of former Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh’s was cordoned off by men of the Department of State Security Service, DSS, at the weekend, following the presidential directive but the man was said to have jetted out of the country before the operatives called last Friday. Although details were sketchy at the time of going to the press, the DSS operatives were also said to have made similar attempt to quiz Air Marshal MD Umar (rtd), also a former Chief of air Staff.
A highly placed source at the EFCC during the weekend told Nigerian Pilot that some letters of invitation were released late Friday and the remaining ones will be completed today, to enable the EFCC commence full blown probe of the 18 ex-service chiefs involved in the deal.
According to the source, the embattled former military chiefs will be telling the operatives of the commission how a whopping N1.67trillion meant for purchase of arms, military equipment and fighter jets, disappeared under their watch.
.According to the source in the commission, “We have sent invitations to many of them and as from Monday, they will start coming.”
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, had disclosed the President’s directive in a statement made available to newsmen on Friday wherein the president revealed details of the scandal and how it paralysed the Boko Haram operations owing to purchase of antiquated equipment and sundry frauds involved..
Shehu said the directive was based on the recommendation of the committee established to audit the procurement of arms and equipment in the Armed Forces and Defence sector from 2007 to 2015.
The total budget for procuring arms for the military within the period, according to the Federal Government, is N1.67trillion.
In its first interim report, the Committee on Audit of Defence Equipment established that the sum of N643billion and $2.1billion interventions were received for procurements by DHQ and the services between 2007 and 2015.
He listed others that the President asked the EFCC to probe to include Maj.-Gen. E.R Chioba (retd.); AVM I.A Balogun (retd.); AVM A.G Tsakr (retd.); AVM A.G Idowu (retd.); AVM A.M Mamu; AVM O.T Oguntoyinbo; AVM T. Omenyi; AVM J.B Adigun; AVM R.A Ojuawo; AVM J.A Kayode-Beckley; Air Cdre SA Yushau (retd.); Air Cdre A.O Ogunjobi; Air Cdre G.M.D Gwani; Air Cdre S.O Makinde; Air Cdre A.Y Lassa; and Col. N Ashinze.
Shehu added that, following the submission of the audit committee’s second interim report, the President had also directed the EFCC to investigate the roles of the officers as well as some companies and their directors in fundamental breaches associated with the procurements by the Office of the National Security Adviser and the Nigerian Air Force.
He gave the names of those affected to include Messrs Societe D’ Equipment Internationaux; Himma Aboubakar; Aeronautical Engineering and Technical Services Limited; Messrs Syrius Technologies; Dr. Theresa A. Ittu; Sky Experts Nig Ltd.; Omenyi Ifeanyi Tony; Huzee Nig. Ltd.; GAT Techno Dynamics Ltd.; Gbujie Peter Obie and Onuri Samuel Ugochukwu.
Others are Spacewebs Interservices Ltd.; Oguntoyinbo Tayo; Oguntoyinbo Funmi; Delfina Oil and Gas Ltd.; Chief Jacobs Bola; Mono Marine Corporation Nig. Ltd.; Geonel Integrated Services Ltd.; Sachi Felicia; Mudaki Polycarp and Wolfgang Reinl.
The presidential spokesman said the breaches identified by the audit committee included non-specification of procurement costs, absence of contract agreements, award of contracts beyond authorised thresholds, transfer of public funds for unidentified purposes and general non-adherence to provisions of the Public Procurement Act.
“…some of the award letters contained misleading delivery dates suggesting fraudulent intent in the award process. The observed discrepancies are in clear contravention of extant procurement regulations.
“The SEI contracts included procurement of two used Mi-24V helicopters instead of the recommended Mi-35M series at the cost of one hundred and thirty six million, nine hundred and forty four thousand US Dollars ($136,944,000.00).
“However, it was confirmed that the helicopters were excessively priced and not operationally air worthy at the time of delivery. A brand new unit of such helicopters goes for about thirty million US Dollars ($30m). Furthermore, the helicopters were delivered without rotor blades and upgrade accessories.”
Shehu added that the helicopters were undergoing upgrade while being deployed for operation in the North-East without proper documentation.
He said it was further established that as at date, only one of the helicopters is in service while the other crashed and claimed the lives of two NAF personnel.
The presidential spokesman also said the committee established that ONSA also funded the procurement of four used Alpha-Jets for the NAF at the cost of seven million, one hundred and eighty thousand US Dollars ($7,180,000.00).
However, according of him, it was confirmed that only two of the Alpha-Jet aircrafts were ferried to Nigeria after cannibalisation of engines from NAF fleet among others
Source:Nigerian Pilot
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