ABUJA — In a bid to recover stolen defence cash running into trillions
of Naira, the Defence Headquarters might have started recalling no fewer
than 20 Generals said to have been involved in the purchase of arms and
ammunition for the country.
Competent military sources told
Vanguard last night that the suspected top military officers were being
detained at a military facility in Abuja and would soon be made to face
the music for their roles in fleecing the nation.
Similarly, the
sources hinted that key military, naval and air force officers, who had
retired within the last three months, were also being recalled to face
an investigating panel probing the purchase of arms for the nation since
2009 with a view to ascertaining their roles in the missing defence
funds.
According to one of the sources, who spoke in confidence
to our correspondent yesterday, the investigative panel, which was
raised by the Chief of Army Staff, is headed by a Brigadier General,
whose name was not also disclosed for security reasons.
According
to a source, “I can tell you that the current leadership of the Defence
institution in Nigeria has zero tolerance for corruption given the need
to give Nigeria a new lease of life. All those suspected to have
diverted any money meant for the armed forces are being recalled to
explain their roles in arms purchase.
“As we speak, some Generals
currently serving are under detention at a military facility in Abuja
while some who had retired but held sensitive appointments relating to
arms and logistics procurement have been recalled by an investigating
panel.”
It was learnt that some of the detained top military
officers might have connived with some national security officers to
divert huge sums of money set aside for the procurement of vital
equipment and platforms for the armed forces by acknowledging receipt of
such items when none had been supplied.
The Presidency is said
to have ordered the military authorities to take immediate steps to
recover stolen funds allocated to them.
Panel report
This
followed the report of a panel raised by President Muhammadu Buhari on
August 31 this year to look into defence budget and recommend the way
forward for Nigeria.
In turning in its interim report, the panel
raised the alarm that certain individuals saddled with the task of arms
procurement for Nigeria, made away with huge sums and left the army to
fight with bare hands.
The panel said that extra budgetary
interventions collated by the committee was N643.8 billion while the
foreign currency component was $2.2 billion.
The report indicated
that the amounts excluded grants from the state governments and funds
collected by the Directorate of State Services and the Police.
The
statement said the committee observed that in spite of this huge
financial intervention, very little was expended to support defence
procurement.
Failed contracts
The committee also
observed that of 513 contracts awarded at $8,356,525,184.32;
N2,189,265,724,404.55 and 54,000.00 Euros, 53 were failed contracts
amounting to $2,378,939,066.27 and N13,729,342,329.87 respectively.
According
to the statement, the committee also noted that the amount of foreign
currency spent on failed contracts was more than double the one billion
dollars loan that the National Assembly approved for borrowing to fight
the insurgency in the North East.
It stated that the committee
also discovered that payments to the tune of N3.850 billion were made to
a single company by the former NSA without documented evidence of
contractual agreements or fulfilment of tax obligations to the Federal
Government.
The statement said: “Further findings revealed that
between March 2012 and March 2015, the erstwhile NSA, Lt. Col. Sambo
Dasuki (retd) awarded fictitious and phantom contracts to the tune of
N2,219,188,609.50; $1,671,742,613.58 and 9,905,477.00 Euros.
“The
contracts, which were said to be for the purchase of four Alpha Jets,
12 helicopters, bombs and ammunition were not executed and the equipment
were never supplied to the Nigerian Air Force, neither are they in its
inventory.
“Even more disturbing was the discovery that out of
these figures, two companies, were awarded contracts to the tune of
N350,000,000.00; $1,661,670,469.71 and 9,905,477.00 Euros alone.
“This was without prejudice to the consistent non-performance of the companies in the previous contracts awarded.
“Additionally,
it was discovered that the former NSA directed the Central Bank of
Nigeria to transfer $132,050,486.97 and 9,905,473.55 Euros to the
accounts of Societe D’equipmente Internationaux in West Africa, United
Kingdom and United States of America for un-ascertained purposes,
without any contract documents to explain the transactions.”
SOURCE. VANGUARD
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