Following President Muhammadu Buhari’s directive for the arrest of former national security adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd), over his indictment in the alleged multibillion dollar arms procurement fraud, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has begun moves against other his associates who may have a link to the deal.
The development prompted a team of EFCC investigators to visit the Abuja residence of former Sokoto State governor, Alhaji Attahiru Bafarawa, to arrest him over his role in the dodgy arms procurement.
Bafarawa had shown a closeness to Dasuki as he always appeared beside him during the appearance of the former NSA at the Federal High Court in Abuja.
The SSS is prosecuting Dasuki before Justice Adeniyi Ademola over his alleged fraudulent roles in arms procurement in the last administration.
According to a member of the EFCC, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, the EFCC team visited the former governor with a view to arresting him because of some revelations in the ongoing investigations into arm procurement.
He, however, stated that the former governor was not at his residence at the time of the visit but that will not deter the Commission from its work as it was determined to continue with the investigations.
The source further noted that other persons, public or private officials, involved with the deal will be thoroughly investigated and, if possible, prosecuted as the Commission was out to ensure corrupt-free society and sanity in public offices.
Buhari had ordered the arrest of Dasuki for his involvement in the misappropriation of billions of dollars meant for the prosecution of the war against terror in the North east.
The president’s directive followed the submission of an interim report by the 13-man presidential committee set up by Buhari to investigate the procurement of equipment for the Armed Forces and defence sector from 2007 to date.
The latest development, perhaps, explains why the federal government has been reluctant to allow Dasuki, who is already being prosecuted for illegal arms possession and money laundering, to travel abroad for medical treatment as ordered by the Federal High Court, Abuja.
While Dasuki has, however, given his side of the story, insisting that he was never invited to appear before an investigative panel on the issue.
He also pledged to tell Nigerians more about the deal when the court case begins.
…Grills Former Perm Sec Over Misappropriation Of SURE-P funds
Meanwhile, the Commission has also interrogated the immediate past permanent secretary in the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and National Orientation, Nkechi Ejele, for over eight hours for her role in the alleged misapplication of funds meant for the Subsidy Re-investment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P) appropriated to the Ministry in 2013 and 2014.
Ejele, who arrived at the headquarters of the agency at about 10am, was drilled till late in the evening, spending over eight hours with EFCC interrogators.
The former chairman of SURE-P, Christopher Kolade, had revealed that he resigned his position in 2013 because the operations of SURE-P were becoming tainted with corruption and politics.
According to him, some officials of the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan were practising “something that was lower than the transparency” expected of an interventionist agency like SURE-P.
Ejele was deployed from the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation (Manpower Development Unit) to the Ministry Tourism, Culture & National Orientation on March 6, 2013, where she remained up until she was removed on November 10, 2015, by President Muhammadu Buhari along with other 16 former permanent secretaries.
Magu Goes After Compromised Operatives
Acting chairman of the EFCC, Ibrahim Magu, has commenced a massive clean-up of the agency with the arrest of some officers allegedly involved in unauthorized leakages of official information and those who caused damaging reports to be published against the Commission by bloggers based on false information.
According to a senior official of the Commission, the action of the officers is prejudicial to discipline and violates their oath of allegiance to the Commission.
The source noted that those already in custody include a management staff of the rank of director, some senior and lower cadre officers, including a former senior operative who was dismissed for corruption and involvement in cult activities.
“Available facts indicate that the staffers who operated as a syndicate were desperately projecting the management staff to take over the leadership of the Commission while attacking the integrity, professionalism and reputation of the EFCC.
“The management staff is believed to have rallied the others into the plot with the promise that he would see to the exit of all police officers (including those who recruited him) from the Commission once he ascends “the throne” as executive chairman.”
According to him, the investigation is ongoing with possibility of more arrests in the coming days.
The discreet investigators are also moving against EFCC officers against whom allegations of corruption had been made by members of the public.
In recent times, the EFCC has been at the receiving end of negative reports by bloggers and mainstream media, targeting its leadership and questioning the integrity of the Commission.
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