The House of Representatives on Monday summoned the governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, (CBN) Godwin Emefiele, and the Chief of Army Staff, COAS Major-General Ibrahim Attahiru, to appear before them to answer queries over the purchase of arms.
This decision was taken at the meeting of the House ad-hoc committee on the need to review the purchase, use and control of arms, ammunition and related hardware by military, paramilitary and other law enforcement agencies in Nigeria.
The duo were ordered to appear before the House on April 7, 2021, by 2 pm.
See The Amount Missing Under Buratai Leadership For Arms – NSA
Others invited were the Ministry of Finance, Bureau for Public Procurement, Ministry of Defence, and Ministry of Interior.
Attahiru had sent a representative, Major General C. Ofuche at the committee’s last sitting, but this was rejected by the members.
Members of the committee said the issue was a serious and sensitive one and needed the COAS to address them in person.
However, the Presidency has cleared the air on the alleged funds provided for procurement of arms missing under the watch of the immediate past service chiefs. He rather revealed that procurements have been made for military weapons but the arms were yet to be delivered.
Presidency: Arms Deal Money Not Missing, This Is What Happened
According to Garba Shehu, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, missing funds can’t happen under the regime of the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.).
Newsmen had earlier reported that the National Security Adviser to the President, Maj.-Gen Babagana Monguno (retd.), said some funds meant for the purchase of arms to strengthen the country’s anti-terror war got missing under the leadership of the ex-service chiefs.
The ex-service chiefs are Chief of Defence Staff, General Abayomi Olonisakin (retd.); Chief of Army Staff, Lt-Gen. Tukur Buratai (retd.); Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ibok Ekwe Ibas (retd.); and Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar (retd.).
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“No one knows what happened to the money but by God’s grace, the president will investigate to find out whether the money was spent and where the arms went,” the NSA had said in an interview with BBC Hausa on Friday.
But speaking hours later also on Friday, Shehu said the NSA was misquoted, stressing that Monguno did not accuse the ex-service chiefs of misappropriation of funds.
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