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.”