$2.1 Billion Arms Saga: Ex-Minister On The Run

Reports reaching Naij.com suggests that a former minister is on the run, following revelation of his involvement in the $2.1 billion arms saga which is currently rocking the nation.

A fresh angle to the arms deal saga, reveals that the cash was wired into a former minister’s accounts, one whose name is withheld for security reasons.

According to The Nation, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission is believed to have discovered that some significant portion of the funds went into the Ekiti and Osun states governorship elections which held in Ekiti (June 2014) and in Osun (August 2014).

Sources claim that the former minister in question, is one of the leading lights of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the Southwest.

He said to have sneaked out of the country, there are claims that he may relocate from his current hideout.

There are speculation that the huge funds were paid into the accounts of the ex-minister for elections in the two states.

However, it is alleged that the funds were not disbursed as expected, as the candidates used their own campaign funds.

Some bankers who managed the accounts have reportedly given some information to EFCC.

It was gathered that another N1.450billion fraud had been uncovered by the EFCC following revelations by one of the accused persons on trial.

The discovery is contained in the heap of evidence filed in the court by EFCC for the trial of 10 suspects.

The money was paid into some accounts which were submitted by a “former Accountant-General” whose identity the suspect in the office of the National Security Adviser(NSA) refused to disclose.

“I could remember the following companies and account numbers were submitted by the former Accountant -General which we paid monies into. Below are the companies and amounts so far paid: Stellavera Dev Company(N300m); First Aralac Global Limited(N300m); First Aralac Global Limited(N100m); Damaris Mode(N300m); Stellavera Dev Company(N200m) and Whese Farms Ltd(N250m).

“I was directed to pay monies into the above accounts. I do not know what the monies were meant for,” the accused person said.

The EFCC are still trailing the hideouts of the runaway ex-minister, an disclosure of his name will be made only on apprehension.

Meanwhile, Yazidu Ibrahim, a staff officer, has disclosed that most payments from the NSA were meant to pursue the PDP presidential election.

Ibrahim claims to have payment vouchers of all funds remitted to PDP beneficiaries, companies and contractors.

While speaking as a witness to the EFC, Ibrahim said: “My duties include recording financial transactions and to keep custody of all duplicate copies of financial transactions. Also to prepare bank reconciliation statements and to collect statements from all banks.

“The year 2014-2015 transactions were mainly to support the presidential election of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

“Those payments to contractors or individuals by deposit into their accounts were based on instructions from the DFA. The tellers are attached to the payment vouchers.

“All payments to contractors are based on directive from DFA. Sometimes, there is accompanying document; most times, there is nothing except account details of contractors.”

It will be recalled that on Monday, December 14, former national security adviser (NSA) Sambo Dasuki confessed to having handed over N10 billion given to PDP nomination convention delegates to Jonathan’s special assistant on domestic affairs, Waripamowei Dudafa and the aide-de-camp.

The embattled security chief, said: “The money which was for delegates that attended the nomination convention for the PDP presidential nomination, was paid and sent to Hon (Waripamowei) Dudafa (SSAP Household) and ADC(C-IC) for distribution on the instruction of the president.

In his court statement, Dasuki said according to the DFA, all the monies were handled by Salisu, Ibrahim Wambai, and Yazidu Ibrahim, for official use.

Meanwhile  President Buhari says those who are found guilty in the $2.1 billion arms deal fraud will be sent to jail. He said this in a recent interview with BBC Hausa

“Remember during the campaigns, we said Nigeria is facing three things and nobody disputed that assertion. Firstly, there was widespread insecurity, a war in the north-east, while the country’s oil was being stolen at random in the south; secondly, there is massive unemployment.
Thirdly, bribery and corruption was basically suffocating the country. If we don’t kill these monsters, this country would go down. That is why those who stole monies meant for arms procurement and shared it among themselves are being arrested and are being shown documents so that they would be asked to refund the money or face prosecution. We would use those documents to prove what they stole, collect all the assets acquired from the proceeds and then jail them”he said

Buhari also spoke on the mutiny of soldiers during the last administration

“I want people to understand that after I settled down and got a good grasp of what the country was going through, we removed all the service chiefs and appointed new ones. We also undertook an investigation and found out how the monies meant for arms procurement were diverted and shared by officials in the last administration. They sent the boys to the warfront without arms and ammunition, leading some of them to mutiny after which they were arrested and detained. We have been able to raise money and fund the war. Go and ask the people of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa, how many of their local governments were under the control of insurgents? And how many are currently still under the insurgents. Maybe we would not win the war completely by the end of the month, but the insurgents have now resorted to putting on explosive vests on young children, mostly girls aged 15 and below and then sending them to markets, mosques and churches to detonate. Boko Haram itself knows that the era of them taking over communities and local governments is over. If people would be fair to us, they would know that the Nigerian Army has basically met the deadline and are winning the war. You cannot find any significant number of Boko Haram members in Adamawa and Yobe, only maybe in about three local governments of Borno, in the area around our borders with Chad Republic. They are not in a position to threaten Nigeria now, so we have won”he said