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Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd)

Dasuki provides evidence confirming arms procurement for armed forces; accuses Presidency of ‘acting out a script’

Col. Dasuki
Col. Dasuki

Embattled former National Security Adviser (NSA), Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd.), Wednesday, provided documents detailing exchange of correspondence between him and the Defence chiefs on the receipt of arms and other equipment purchased by the former NSA in the ex-President Goodluck Jonathan administration.

The moves follows, Wednesday’s order by President Muhammadu Buhari for his arrest, even as the former NSA remains under house arrest enforced by the Department of State Security (DSS) despite two separate Federal High Court orders directing the release of his travel documents to enable move abroad for medical treatment.

President Buhari acting on the interim report submitted by a 13-man panel to investigate arms purchases in the armed forces from 2007 till date, that indicted Dasuki, had directed the arrest of the former NSA.

Nigerian Armed Forces has again responded to the allegations contained in an interim report of the presidential panel set up by President Muhammadu Buhari to investigate the procurement of arms and equipment in the Armed Forces and defence sector from 2007 to date.

In a more detailed response issued on Wednesday than the one made available, Tuesday night when the findings of the committee were released by the president’s media aide, Mr. Femi Adesina, Dasuki provided evidence of the correspondence from the Nigerian Army and air force acknowledging the receipt of four Alpha jets, 12 helicopters and other military equipment which included equipment the panel had accused him of not procuring.

Dasuki, who is presently facing corruption, money laundering and illegal possession of arms charges brought on by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFFC), in his detailed statement also accused the presidency of acting out a script.

“In a theatrical manner, the presidency fed the public with many allegations against my person and yet to be named former public officers.”

“To draw sympathy, the presidency quoted some absurd findings including extra-budgetary interventions; award of fictitious contracts; 53 failed contracts; payment for jobs without contractual agreements; non-execution of contracts for the purchase of four Alpha jets, bombs and ammunition.

“For undiscerning Nigerians, they may tend to assume that the allegations were true and pronounce the former National Security Adviser guilty as charged.

“The statement issued by the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, who should know better as a former President of the Nigerian Guild of Editors and a witness to history, was nothing short of propaganda to cast aspersions on Dasuki.

“To set the records straight, Nigerians should appreciate that the AVM John Ode-led panel did not invite the ex-NSA under any guise before arriving at its ambiguous findings.

“At least, fairness demands that the panel ought to hear from Dasuki instead of its recourse to hasty conclusions. If the panel had been more patient and painstaking, it would have been availed of all relevant documents on some of the jaundiced findings,” he stated.

Continuing, Dasuki said the Presidency ’as if acting out a script,’ alleged that the panel accused him of awarding fictitious contracts between March 2012 and March 2015, when he was not even the NSA in March 2012.

“Contrary to this claim, Dasuki was not the NSA in March 2012 and he could not have awarded any contract in whatever name. The ex-NSA was appointed by ex-President Goodluck Jonathan on June 22, 2012,” Dasuki pointed out.

He stated that all contracts and accruing payments were with the approval of the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces (Jonathan).

“Once the ex-President approved, the former NSA paid. So there was due process for every purchase in line with regulations guiding arms procurement for the Armed Forces.

“And Nigerians should note that all the services generated the types of equipment needed, sourced for suppliers most times and after consideration by the Office of the NSA, the president will approve application for payment.

“For sensitive sectors (military/security), there was no room for awarding fictitious contracts. The conclusions of the panel were presumptive, baseless and lacked diligence,” he said.

Dasuki maintained that there were no fictitious contracts, contract sums were not diverted, and the relevant services in writing acknowledged delivery of equipment.

He said for all procurements, the Nigerian Army, the Air Force and the Nigerian Navy have their contractors.

“While awaiting judicial process on these allegations, it is proper to make some references to show that the presidency was just desperate to hang some former public and military officers who served this nation at the risk of their lives.

“It is laughable for the panel to assume that four Alpha jets and 12 helicopters were undelivered. In a memo to the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), referenced NAF/905/D/CAS of November 28, 2014, the immediate past Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Adesola Amosu acknowledged the receipt of the 4x Alpha jets attack aircraft and the helicopters.

“On 10/21/14, the Chief of Air Staff also confirmed the receipt of F-7 N1 aircraft combination of 250kg bombs and accessories at $2,894,000 with the cost of freight at $1,200,000. The same Air Force confirmed getting 2xTri Shield 36DG tactical radars.

“In another letter of December 1, 2014 signed by L.S. Alao (on behalf of the Chief of Air Staff), the Air Force said it received five containerised fuel storage and dispensing units with equipment.

“The Nigerian Army wrote the ONSA to acknowledge the delivery of 14 armoured tanks. In a December 13, 2014 memo, the Brigade of Guards thanked ONSA for releasing N30m for RCA, operation allowance for troops on Op Urban Sweep II for third and fourth quarters of 2014. This is apart from the installation of CCT cameras at the Brigade Headquarters, two backscatter bomb detection vans and other equipment.

“On November 26, 2014, the immediate past Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh sought for approval of the award of one pair of uniforms (in the interim) for the Armed Forces at N165,375,000 to El-Jahab Mubarak Nigeria and N330,750,000 for two pairs.

“These are some of the acknowledgment letters submitted to me by the end-users (the services). It is not for me to go and find out whether the equipment was delivered or not. I am not the one keeping the inventories.”

To prove that he had nothing to hide, the ex-NSA said he submitted a comprehensive list of all requests for procurements by the services, “the items bought and those equipment being awaited to His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari long before I left office”.

“If there were issues, I should have been questioned. I was just the clearing house, I did not award contracts to my company or proxies. There was no contract awarded or equipment bought without approval from the then President and Commander-in-Chief. I am not a thief or treasury looter as being portrayed,” he added.

Dasuki however stated that there were many salient issues and contracts which he could not put in the public domain, in order not to endanger the nation’s security.

He said he was ready for trial on all these allegations in order to prove to Nigerians that he did nothing untoward in office. “We will certainly meet in court.”

“I have a lot to tell Nigerians but in the interim, they should not believe some of the allegations as the gospel truths. The good thing is that some of the key actors in the present administration were parts of the past process being viciously challenged.

“As for my tenure as the nation’s NSA, I acted in the interest of the nation and with utmost fear of God. I did not use the office for any self-serving agenda. I occupied the Office of the National Security Adviser at a difficult moment in Nigerian history when terrorism was at its peak and I am leaving posterity to judge me accordingly,” he stated.

When contacted to react to Dasuki’s response to the panel’s report and the discrepancies highlighted by the former NSA, the president’s media aide, Adesina, declined to make further comment on the issue.

“We have no comment at this time but I will let you know if we have something to say,” he informed.

(Additional report ThisDay)

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