$2.1bn Arms Deal: EFCC Invites Former Chief Of Defence Staff, Alex Badeh

A former Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshall Alex Badeh (retd.), is set to honour the invitation of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Wednesday (today).

 

 

A source close to the ex-CDS said he received the invitation from the Anti-graft agency on Monday, Punch reports.

 

 

He explained that upon receiving the invitation, Badeh instructed his close aides to make arrangements for him to honour the invitation on Wednesday (today).

 

 

Badeh is expected to appear before the anti-graft agency to shed light on the issue of arms procurement for the armed forces under his watch.

 

 

The EFCC is investigating a controversial $2.1bn arms procurement deal which has become a scandal involving several high profile serving, retired military officers and politicians.

 

 

The source said:

 

“The ex-CDS received the (EFCC) invitation yesterday (Monday) and he told us to prepare for him to appear before the commission tomorrow (Wednesday) morning in line with their request.

 

 

“He has kept a low profile since this thing started and he is ready to explain himself when he gets there.

“I believe he has nothing to hide, he worked with a team and will explain what he knows about what happened under his watch.

“It is a pity he has been subjected to a media trial before this opportunity to clear his name.”

$2.1bn Arms Probe: Colonel Opens Lid On Illicit Deals By Top Officers

Indications emerged last night that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has received some lead on how some of the indicted top serving and retired military officers looted the nation through fraudulent arms contract and direct diversion of funds meant for arms procurement.

 
Findings have revealed that the arrest and detention of a serving Colonel in the Nigerian Army in relation to the diversion of $2.1 billion meant for arms purchase in the Office of the National Security Adviser, exposed the illicit deals undertaken by the indicted officers.

 

 

Findings also showed that the Colonel, who hails from Delta State and served as a Personal Assistant to the embattled ex-NSA, Col. Sambo Dasuki, has been telling the anti-graft operatives all that he knows about the arms deals and those who masterminded the looting of the nation’s resources in the name of arms purchase.

 

 

It was on the strength of the revelations by the detained military officer and others, that the EFCC, last week, wrote to the Defence Headquarters to release the affected officers and their retired counterparts, for immediate questioning.

 

 

Indicted officers already on our radar —EFCC

A top EFCC official, who spoke with Vanguard last night, confirmed that some of the indicted men were already under their radar.

 

 

The officer, who declined to give details of what they were doing about the indicted officers, said that EFCC would take immediate steps to carry out the Presidential directive arising from the indictment of the military officers by a panel, which looked into the arms deals.

 

 

The official said: “We intend to carry out the Presidential directive in accordance with our extant rules. Don’t forget that before the directive came, we had already moved to fish out some in the military top brass whose names came up in the course of investigation into the $2.1 arms deals.

 

 

“We also have a serving military officer, who has been telling us some of the things that took place in the name of arms purchase in the ONSA. All these will certainly advance our work.”

 

 

It will be recalled that President Muhammadu Buhari, last week, ordered the EFCC to prosecute many top military officers and companies indicted by a Presidential panel that probed the procurement of arms for the country between 2007 and 2015.

 

 

Those to be investigated

Among those mentioned in the panel report as having cases to answer were the former Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh (retd); former Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Mohammed Dikko Umar (retd), and former Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Adesola Nunayon Amosu (retd).

 

 

The others are Major-General E.R. Chioba (retd), Air Vice Marshal I.A. Balogun (retd), Air Vice Marshal A.G. Tsakr (retd), Air Vice Marshal A.G. Idowu (retd), Air Vice Marshal A.M. Mamu, Air Vice Marshal, O.T. Oguntoyinbo, Air Vice Marshal T. Omenyi, Air Vice Marshal J.B. Adigun, Air Vice Marshal R.A. Ojuawo, and Air Vice Marshal J.A. Kayode-Beckley.

 

 

Others are: Air Commodore Sa Yushau (retd), Air Commodore A.O. Ogunjobi, Air Commodore G.M.D. Gwani, Air Commodore S.O. Makinde, Air Commodore A.Y. Lassa, Colonel N. Ashinze, and Lt. Colonel Mohammed Sambo Dasuki (retd).

 

 

Also to be investigated are: Himma Aboubakar, Aeronautical Engineering and Technical Services Limited, Messrs Syrius Technologies and Sky Experts Nig Ltd, among others.

 

 

According to the statement, the procurement processes were arbitrarily carried out and characterized by irregularities and fraud, while in many cases, the items procured failed to meet their required purposes, especially the counter insurgency operations in the north east.

 

 

 

Credit : Vanguard

$2.1bn Deal: I Will Speak Soon- Labaran Maku

Former minister of Information, Mr Labaran Maku, said he would soon air his “views about everything that is going on” on the $2.1bn arms deal scandal involving ex-National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd).

Labaran Maku in the same vein faulted the planned N17 billion airport project by Governor Tanko Al-Makura of Nasarawa State, describing it as an avenue to steal and warned commercial banks not to give N26billion loan to the governor.

NAN