President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered the arrest of the former National Security Adviser, Col Sambo Dasuki (retd) over his involvement in the procurement of arms and equipment in the Armed Forces and Defence sector from 2007 to date.
Operatives of the Department of State Services, DSS, has continued to lay siege to the Abuja residence of the former NSA, against the directives of a Federal High Court.
Justice Adeniyi Ademola of the Federal High Court, Abuja, had on Friday reacted angrily to the siege on Mr. Dasuki’s house despite an earlier ruling he gave permitting the retired colonel to travel abroad for medical treatment.
“My own orders will not be flouted” the judge said on Friday, while re-iterating his stance that the former security chief be allowed to travel for medical treatment.
Below is the full text of the statement.
PRESIDENT BUHARI RECEIVES INTERIM REPORT OF INVESTIGATIVE COMMITTEE ON ARMS PROCUREMENT, ORDERS ARREST OF INDICTED PERSONS
On the authority of Mr President, a 13 man committee was set up by the Office of the National Security Adviser to audit the procurement of arms and equipment in the Armed Forces and Defence sector from 2007 to date.
While the committee, which was inaugurated on 31 August 2015, is yet to complete its work, its interim report has unearthed several illicit and fraudulent financial transactions.
As part of the findings, the committee has analyzed interventions from some organizations that provided funds to the Office of the National Security Adviser, Defence Headquarters, Army Headquarters Naval Headquarters and Nigerian Air Force Headquarters, both in local and foreign currencies.
So far the total extra budgetary interventions articulated by the committee is Six Hundred and Forty Three Billion, Eight Hundred and Seventeen Million, Nine Hundred and Fifty Thousand, Eight Hundred and Eighty Five Hundred Naira and Eighteen Kobo (N643, 817,955,885.18).
The foreign currency component is to the tune of Two Billion, One Hundred and Ninety Three Million, Eight Hundred and Fifteen Thousand US Dollars and Eighty Three Cents ($2,193,815,000.83).
These amounts exclude grants from the State Governments and funds collected by the DSS and Police. It was observed that in spite of this huge financial intervention, very little was expended to support defense procurement.
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; Fifty Three (53) were failed contracts amounting to $2,378,939,066.27 and N13, 729,342,329.87 respectively.
Interestingly, it was noted that the amount of foreign currency spent on failed contracts was more than double the $1bn loan that the National Assembly approved for borrowing to fight the insurgency in the North East.
The committee also discovered that payments to the tune of Three Billion, Eight Hundred and Fifty Million Naira (N3, 850,000,000.00) were made to a single company by the former NSA without documented evidence of contractual agreements or fulfilment of tax obligations to the FGN.
Further findings revealed that between March 2012 and March 2015, the erstwhile NSA, Lt Col MS Dasuki (rtd) awarded fictitious and phantom contracts to the tune of N2, 219,188,609.50, $1,671,742,613.58 and €9,905,477.00. The contracts which were said to be for the purchase of 4 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, 2 companies, were awarded contracts to the tune of N350, 000,000.00, $1,661,670,469.71 and €9,905,477.00 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 the sum of $132,050,486.97 and €9,905,473.55 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.
The findings made so far are extremely worrying considering that the interventions were granted within the same period that our troops fighting the insurgency in the North East were in desperate need of platforms, military equipment and ammunition. Had the funds siphoned to these non performing companies been properly used for the purpose they were meant for, thousands of needless Nigerian deaths would have been avoided.
Furthermore, the ridicule Nigeria has faced in the international community would have been avoided. It is worrisome and disappointing that those entrusted with the security of this great nation were busy using proxies to siphon the national treasury, while innocent lives were wasted daily.
In light of these findings, President Muhammadu Buhari has directed that the relevant organizations arrest and bring to book, all individuals who have been found complicit in these illegal and fraudulent acts.
Femi AdesinaClick to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday
Special Adviser to the President
(Media & Publicity)
November 17, 2015
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So, a single individual could hold the whole Nation at the jugular this much. Busying enriching himself when thousands were dying on the hands of Boko Haram daily. Man inhumanity to man! As events are unfolding, we are watching.
ReplyDeleteWe should be guided on how we accept one side of a story. A man bittered about his wife will always judge an event to suit his course and this is similar to the case of Dasauki and PMB.
Delete1. Dasauki's n his Fathers house was searched and raided b4 the outcome of any investigation, meaning that they already had plans to nail him.
2. What where they looking for initially, hard cash, but when nothing was found, the said illegal arms and treason. Was it arms that took them to his house in the first instance and stopped him from praying during Sallah?
3. Knowing the court proceedings are not favourable to them, they flaunted court orders, why? He was already presumed guilty.
4. This report is just a justification to nail him after all other attempts have failed.
I am not saying he is innocent, but we should hear other sides of the story cos going by the administrations initial persecution, this might be a justification to persecute him with public opinion b4 a competent court of law.
Thank you. More worrisome is Buhari disobeying court orders twice. He is telling Nigeria that the change for which he was 'voted' is to actually bruise the rule of law. I am so disappointed! So Buhari has no moral right and political charisma to lead us. He is a Tout
DeleteSo, a single individual could hold the whole Nation at the jugular this much. Busying enriching himself when thousands were dying on the hands of Boko Haram daily. Man inhumanity to man! As events are unfolding, we are watching.
ReplyDeleteEvery thief should be revealed including those of TSA fraud.
ReplyDeleteBy now, Justice Adeniyi Ademola of the Federal High Court, Abuja, that reacted angrily to the siege on Mr. Dasuki’s house despite his supporting the retired colonel's travel abroad for medical treatment must have been regretting his stands on the issue.
ReplyDeleteCan Justice A. Ademola face the families of those killed by Boko Harram due to the atrocities committed by Dasuki who traded lives of our men and women in uniform for his personal gains?. This man must know that Ghana is a sister country to Nigeria. Therefore, such shameful stand of his can cost him wasting his years of services if Nigeria decides to follow Ghana's step. Unless he has received his own shares from blood money Dasuki is been accused of.
Please my friend you saw water on the table and drank it. Inly to know it's poison. Cool down. This is NAIJA. Remember how Oshiomole gathered the press and rolled out all the billions of financial wrongs of Okonjo Iweala. How far. Oshiomole is quiet right now. No proof. Let's not nail DASUKI right away. It's known knowledge that Buhari has a personal score to settle with DASUKI. It's on this same report before it was released that DASUKI was taken to court! A preconceived guilty orosecution. If the lower court is wrong, DSS can appeal
DeleteThinking that I have since been writing in support of this man, I herby withdraw and take back all my contributions, these people really took advantage of Godluck Jonathan niceness and too bc of his (Dasuki) military background lying about expertise and getting monies without buying arms; Please don't release this man, this is where all the monies stolen passed through, PMB go ahead and make him pay if found guilty, why would anyone release this kind of a man out of his country if guilty as shown from the preliminary investigation report, I am very sure this monies were the once his likes were using to sponsor Boko Haram to make sure that it remains a permanent future so that the cash keep coming for ever....no country survives under this broad-day treasury looting, it is indeed dark, very dark for the present generations in our nation political leaders or those in authority to do this to this entity called nigeria, and giving that people that don’t know nothing about his crimes are politicizing his arrest? I can’t believe this!!!!!
ReplyDeletethat is Y he is asking to go abroad for financial treatment, not health treatment; he is going to secure his cash not his health jail him!!!
ReplyDeleteI do not understand why Nigerian's can not rise above sentiments. Amechi was indicted by an investigative panel in Rivers State but the President has been pretending to be unaware. But he now comes out to give a directive to arrest and bring to book all those indicted in the arms investigation. We need to be careful, really careful in this country.
ReplyDeleteThat is an allegation. That is no excuse why a court order should be flouted. Dasuki's problem with Buhari has been long standing to their military days and Buhari never forgives!
ReplyDeleteif dese revelations r tru den may God hav mercy on him bcos dis is beynd humanity. oh God
ReplyDeleteWhat makes you think these allegations are true? Was Sambo NSA in 2007, why are we not hearing the other people's names? Sambo was made NSA tail end of GEJ's regime! What is his portion? Who are the others don't they have names? Nigerians are not fools, so they barricaded him till they could get their report out? By all means jail him if he is guilty but who are the others?
ReplyDeleteIf you are appointed to a post, it's your responsibility to look into the dealings of the past leaders of the new post you taking over because henceforth you would be the face of the agency.Nigerians are too stupid to recognise this fact unfortunately. If Dasuki failed to scrutinise the person he succeeded, then he must irresponsible, incompetent and unethical
DeleteIf two to three of this accusation is true and this man is found guilty of them, I think jailing him might not be enough.
ReplyDeleteIf this is true, i cry 4 nigeria.
ReplyDeleteThis on the govt seems to take very seriously. The corrupt looters are safe else they would have gone for them like this also
ReplyDeletegosh!!! what being, your people are dying daily and you have been given the mandate to put an end to it yet you sit there with the money and watch innocent people die. if there is a place worst than her then this man should be tron into it..
ReplyDeleteARE WE SURE THE JUDICIARY IS WORTH OF BEING TRUSTED. ARE WE SURE THEY ARE NOT CORRUPT? HUMAN BEING AND MONEY! I HOPE ANOTHER SUPREME JUDGES WONT STOP THIS TRIAL IF ON AGAIN. I SEEK FOR OUTRIGHT KILLIG OF CORRUPT JUDGES AND THESE LEADERS. HABA.HABA......
ReplyDeleteTHANK GOD HE HAS NOT BEEN ALLOWED TO TRAVEL BCOS THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN HIS FINAL BYE BYE TO NIGETIA AND SURE THE ADEMOLA WILL BE LAUGHING SECRETLY....SHAME ON ALL OF THEM. MAY THE WRATH OF GOD DESCEND HEAVILY ON ALL THE FAMILIES EVEN YET UNBORN OF ALL THESE LOOTERS....
ReplyDeleteThese people should be stoned dead. Will you take this money to heaven, they always form one sickness or another when its time to face the law.
ReplyDeleteJonathan is a monumental failure. This happened under his nose. Olosi
ReplyDeleteIt is unfortunate people jump to conclusion as to nailing Dasuki when they only hear a side of the story. If Buhari has no personal grudge against Dasuki, let him prosecute him legally and not suppressing the court. We are in democracy not military era. If Jonathan was suppressing the courts, we would not have had this change. Respect the court ruling please.
ReplyDeleteThank God Dasuki is Northerner and Ex Army Officer Ds is a preliminary report telling niga people how Corrupt Northern Niga Soldiers are....Hav u forgot Abacha....OBJ does not want to be Caught dats wy He Tore his PDP card and Jump fence to APC camp.....
ReplyDeleteFor your information, OBJ is not an APC member.
DeleteOBJ is a saint every other person that supports APC govt is a saint, but if you are with the opposition then you are screwed, rolling out issues even the ones that happened b4 Dasuki took over as NSA.
ReplyDeleteThe investigation committee cannot cone out with such figures for fun! Remember, it's just a preliminary report; which means more fact could be unearthed before they get to the end of the investigation. Can you imagine one individual siphoning over half a trillion naira while thousands of person were dying? In China, the punishment for any public officer who steals public funds is death! That punishment should be implemented in nigeria, at least for some few years. Trust me, you'll see the condition of nigerians improve drastically. Nigeria is a very wealthy country, but due to some corrupt and demonic greedy individuals, the country's resources and wealth are being diverted!
ReplyDelete