EMBEZZLEMENT: Military squanders over N16trn on arms deal in 20 years – CDD
Defence Correspondent
The Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) has alleged that the Nigerian military misused N6.1 trillion through fraudulent arms procurement deals in the last 20 years.
The centre which disclosed this in its statement issued yesterday noted that political and security elite monetised conflicts and the resulting humanitarian crises.
It affirmed that successive presidents’ failure to rein in security sector corruption is a highly consequential anti-corruption failure, which has weakened Nigerian counter-terrorism capacity, allowing groups like Boko Haram to fester.
According to the report, despite promises by the current administration to expose those behind sponsorship of criminals, no individual, body or corporation had been convicted in Nigeria for funding terrorism since the insurgency started in 2009.
Recall that late chief of army staff, Lt Gen Ibrahim Attahiru, had on April 12, 2021 told the House of Representatives committee investigating the $1 billion excess crude account fund meant for the purchase of arms to invite his predecessors to shed more light on the arms procurement deal as he only took over barely two months earlier
Attahiru who appeared before the Olaide Akinremi-led house of representatives ad hoc committee investigating the matter in Abuja, said it behoved the lawmakers to ask the individuals involved in the deals to account for the funds budgeted for procurement of weapons over the years.
“You may wish to recall that I took over the mantle of leadership barely two months ago. The period from which you wanted this report, having been summarised in the executive summary, explains whatever details you will require; issues of procurement that you so demand to know were done by specific individuals.
“I will rather you call these individuals to come and explain to you very specific issues. The general issue has been contained in the report and the summary. It goes to speak about the entire report and it explains it,” he said.
Recall also that the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), had, on July 21, asked President Muhammadu Buhari to explain the whereabouts of the $1 billion (about N360bn) taken from the excess crude account for security funding.
The party had alleged that the government had diverted certain funds meant for security to fund “2019 campaign activities of the APC while our troops languished in the (war) front.”
“The Peoples Democratic Party of Nigeria draws the attention of Nigerians to the shocking confession by the national security adviser, Gen. Babagana Mongunu (retd), that he is not aware of the whereabouts or disbursement of the $1bn drawn from the Excess Crude Account by the Muhammadu Buhari Presidency in 2017 for security purposes.
“This confession by the NSA, who coordinates the security architecture of the nation, directly places a huge burden on President Buhari’s doorsteps over reported stealing and diversion of funds meant for security, while insurgency, banditry, killings and kidnapping fester in the land under his watch.
“This is especially as there are already allegations in the public space that certain funds meant for security were diverted for 2019 campaign activities of the All Progressives Congress, while our troops languished in the (war) front.
“Our party had always alerted Nigerians that the APC administration was insincere in the handling of the ECA fund, leading to our demand in 2017 for the national assembly to investigate the handling of the $1bn,” said the PDP on its verified Twitter handle @OfficialPDPNig.
(The Gazette)
Photo Credit: The Nation
