There are indications that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has yet to send any communication to the military concerning 11 serving officers who are among those being probed for alleged arms scandal.
The Acting Director of Defence Information, Brig.-Gen. Rabe Abubakar, who gave this hint in an interview with one of our correspondents in Abuja, said the Defence Headquarters had not received any letter on the affected military mofficers.
The EFCC is investigating the alleged diversion of $2.1bn meant for the procurement of arms to fight Boko Haram insurgency by former National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd.).
President Muhammadu Buhari had penultimate Friday ordered the commission to investigate 17 serving and retired military officers, including the past Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh (retd.); a former Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Dikko Umar (retd.) (2010 -2012); and former Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Adesola Amosu (retd.) over arms purchases between 2007 and 2015.
The 11 serving officers that will be investigated by the EFCC include Air Marshal A.M. Mamu (Chief of Administration, Nigeria Air Force); AVM Oguntoyinbo (former Director of Production, Defence Headquarters); AVM T. Omenyi (Managing Director, NAF Holdings); and AVM J.B. Adigun (former Chief of Accounts and Budget).
Others are AVM R. A. Ojuawo (Air Force Tactical Air Command, Markudi); AVM J.A. Kayode-Beckley (Director, Armament Research in Air Force Research and Development Centre); Air Cdre. A.O. Ogunjobi; Air Cdre G.M.D. Gwani; Air Cdre A.Y. Lassa; Col. N. Ashinze (Special Assistant to the former NSA, Dasuki;) and Air Cdr. S.O.Makinde.
Abubakar, who reacted to reports that the EFCC had not been able to reach out to the affected officers, said the defence headquarters had not got any letter on the officers from the anti-graft commission.
Abubakar said, “We have to get it from them. The request must come but the best I know, there is nothing like that. But we are always ready to act promptly on this issue.”
Abubakar stated that the military was working for the government, adding that it shared the same sentiments with other Nigerians.
He said, “We are in total compliance with any government agency that wishes to request for anybody who might have been indicted in the process of this arms procurement. And there is what is called laid-down procedures, which every agency has to follow. Our doors are always open to any agency which wishes to find anything about the military.
“We have procedures. We have administrative procedures. You write us. You write to the Defence Headquarters. You write to the Ministry of Defence, which supervises the services and then they would ask us to take actions appropriately as directed and then we obey that order. So this thing is not cumbersome. It is a straight forward thing and it easy to get what you want to get in the system.”
On the involvement of senior officers in the issue, Abubakar said, “There must be some people who may decide to act the way they want to act; so if some people are found in the military, it does not in any way signify that the military is corrupt. We are in support of any move towards fighting corruption.”
