Arms deals panel begins sitting in Abuja

The 13-man investigative committee set up to probe the procurement of hardware and ammunition in the Armed Forces has started its sitting, albeit in camera, The PUNCH has learnt.

The committee has been meeting in the office of the National Security Adviser, Maj. Gen. Babagana Monguno (retd.), a source in the Presidency confided in The PUNCH on Wednesday.

The source said, “I can confirm to you that the committee members have started meeting. They even started meeting before their appointments were announced. This is because they do not need any confirmation or any formal inauguration.

“Available information showed that members are getting the needed assistance and support from interested parties.

“It is the government’s belief that a lot of ground would be covered by the committee in its desire to ascertain what went wrong in the past as far as the procurement of arms is concerned.”

Presidential spokesman, Mr. Femi Adesina, had on Monday announced the composition of the committee, which is saddled with the responsibility of probing arms purchase from 2007 till now.

Adesina had said the President directed the NSA to set up the committee with the mandate of identifying irregularities and making recommendations for streamlining the procurement process in the Armed Forces.

Members of the committee include AVM J.O.N. Ode (retd.) –chairman; R/Adm. J. A. Aikhomu (retd.); R/Adm. E. Ogbor (retd.); Brig. Gen L. Adekagun (retd.); Brig. Gen. M. Aminu-Kano (retd.); Brig. Gen. N. Rimtip (retd.); Cdre. T.D. Ikoli; Air Cdre U. Mohammed (retd.); Air Cdre I. Shafi’i; Col. A.A. Ariyibi; Group Capt. C.A. Oriaku (retd.); Mr. I. Magu (EFCC); and Brig. Gen Y.I. Shalangwa – Secretary.

Adesina explained that the establishment of the committee was in keeping with Buhari’s determination to stamp out corruption and irregularities in Nigeria’s public service.

He added, “It (the committee) comes against the background of the myriad of challenges that the Nigerian Armed Forces have faced in the course of ongoing counter-insurgency operations in the North-East, including the apparent deficit in military platforms with its attendant negative effects of troops’ morale.

“The committee will specifically investigate allegations of non-adherence to correct equipment procurement procedures and the exclusion of relevant logistics branches from arms procurement under past administrations, which, very often resulted in the acquisition of sub-standard and unserviceable equipment.”

No timeline was given for the committee to carry out its assignment.

Meanwhile, South Africa has said that it is not involved in the investigation into the purchase of arms by the administrations of late President Umaru Yar’Adua and former President Goodluck Jonathan.

It described the arms probe panel as a Nigerian affair, saying it did not involve in the aborted botched $15m arms deal by the administration of Jonathan in 2014.

The South Africa’s High Commissioner in Nigeria, Lulu Mnguni, stated this in a telephone interview with our correspondent on Wednesday.

Mnguni was asked to react to a report that South Africa might be invited by the Buhari’s arms deal probe panel.

Also asked if his commission would appear before the panel if summoned, the envoy said his mission had nothing to do with the failed arms deals, stressing that it was purely a Nigerian issue.

He added that the South African mission would be guided by directives from the home government, noting that the embassy was a member of the diplomatic community which only follows official instructions.

“We don’t know anything about the arms issue; that is a Nigerian matter. We are not involved. You know what, we are guided by our government and you must also know that we are in the diplomatic community,” he said.

Arms deals panel begins sitting in Abuja

EXCLUSIVE: Dokubo-Asari threatens to go violent on Lai Mohammed over $9.3m arms scandal

By Premiumtimes

Ex-militant and leader of the Niger Delta Peoples Volunteer Force, NDPVF, Mujahid Dokubo-Asari, hinted at what appeared a spectre of violence Wednesday, with a threat of lawsuit or “self-help” against Lai Mohammed, the spokesperson of the All Progressives Congress, APC, for claiming he helped transport $9.3 million cash for arms purchase in South Africa.

Dokubo 

Speaking to PREMIUM TIMES exclusively Wednesday, Mr. Asari said he will adopt a civilised response to Mr. Mohammed by first suing the APC spokesperson for his remarks.

He however warned that should the courts fail to deliver justice, he will resort to self-help by using his hands and any other means to deal with Mr. Mohammed.

“After all the South Africa People have given the names of people on the plane and if by next week we go to court and the court is being manipulated not to give me justice, I will resort to self-help,” he said.

“I have the capacity to resort to self-help. I will not give anybody any apology because if a man has mouth to malign me then I can use what I have to fight for myself.”

Asked to clarify on the nature of self-help, the NDPVF leader said, “When the time comes you will know. The man doesn’t have the right to malign me. If a man has the right to use his mouth and hand to malign me and libel people, and any other man has the right to use his hand and any other means to get justice.”

Mr. Asari’s threat followed unsubstantiated claim by the APC listing him as one of two Nigerians who travelled alongside an Israeli, with $9.3m cash, for arms purchase in South Africa.

The South African government confiscated the huge sum as “proceeds of illegal transaction”, saying it was not declared at the airport.

Authorities there, like the Nigerian government, have refused to release the names of the two Nigerians who took part in the failed deal.

In an earlier press release, the APC spokesperson, Mr. Mohammed, quoting reports by some blogs, alleged that Mr. Asari was one of the unidentified Nigerians on the private jet that ferried the cash to South Africa.

Mr. Asari denies being part of the trip.

Speaking to PREMIUM TIMES, the former militant leader said he had not been to South Africa since 2002, and challenged journalists to confirm with that country’s embassy in Nigerian if he was granted visa to travel.

He said he was being targeted because of his support for President Goodluck Jonathan to secure a second term in office.

“So the onus of proof is on him. I will fight him with any means available to me. He manufactured a lie against me, and he orchestrated it,” he said. “If they want to win an election they should go and face Goodluck and win election not to pull down GEJ supporters.”

The NDPVF leader said his traducers failed last year to silence him after they alleged that he was a sponsor of the Boko Haram sect.

He claimed his critics went to Cotonou, the Benin Republic capital, and sent reports to INTERPOL alleging that he was a leader and sponsor of the sect.

“They failed last year in November. I went to the SSS on my own. The next one (they said) I’m in South Africa for arms and for money laundering which are international crimes. After that they brought Rex (his younger brother) picture and immediately they transformed Rex to Mohammed Yusuf with Ayo Oritsejafor and that we are there together,” he said.

“How long will they continue to malign me? Whatever means I have to reclaim my name and stop them from disturbing me. Anything that will redeem my name, I will do it.”

He also lambasted a former Head of State, Muhammadu Buhari for showing interest in the 2015 presidential race.

Mr. Dokubo-Asari, who spoke to this newspaper few hours after Mr. Buhari formally signified his intention to contest the presidential election on the ticket of APC, said the former head of state who had contested for the position on three previous occasions, would fail in his fresh bid and would be disgraced.

“Buhari declared for presidency, he will fail as he always fails, this time he will fail more. He has always been disgraced,” he said.

Mr. Dokubo-Asari, a die-hard supporter of President Goodluck Jonathan, alleged that the former head of state stage-managed the assassination attempt on him (Buhari) last August, asking, “Someone who has staged-managed an assassination on his life what else can he not do?”

He regretted that because of the incident, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, demanded his (Dokubo-Asari) arrest even though he was not in any way involved in the incident.

According to him, it was even more painful that the Speaker never called for the arrest of prominent northerners who had at different times made inflammatory remarks about the nation.

He added, “Buhari staged-managed an assassination attempt that killed over 100 people in Kaduna after that they produced somebody. Anyone who has been involved in the military activities will know when something is stage managed.

“His own story indicted him and roped him in. In any civilised country, he will be arrested. He said the bombers chased him until they rammed into his car instead of his car to be badly damaged it was people farthest away from the bomb that died or had more damages. Buhari came down.

“Anyone who knows the story of bomb blast, anybody at the vicinity of a blast will be evacuated because there might be a secondary explosion and the second explosions can be more deadly. And Buhari came down in his immaculate white. He was not afraid. Suddenly, somebody just appeared and said they caught the person that planted the bomb and he said it was Asari that sent me (and that) he gave us N5million. Where are the rest four people?”

EXCLUSIVE: Dokubo-Asari threatens to go violent on Lai Mohammed over $9.3m arms scandal