Former military chiefs might be in for a hard time this year as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission compiles a list of all the implicated military personnels who benefited from the $2.1bn Arms Scandal.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has compiled a list of serving and retired military officers, who will be interrogated in connection with the $2.1bn arms procurement probe, Punch reports.
The report revealed that the commission had already sent a letter to the Army Headquarters for the release of the affected officers. Although sources refused to name the affected officers, it was however revealed that the soldiers to be invited included past service chiefs. It was learnt that there was tension in the military over the arrest of a serving Colonel, who served as a Military Assistant to the former National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd.).
A source in the EFCC confirmed that before Christmas, the EFCC arrested a colonel, who was on secondment to the office of the NSA in connection with the ongoing investigation into arms procurement under the Goodluck Jonathan administration.
The source said the colonel had been in detention since then.
A top operative of the EFCC confided in one of our correspondents that the detained Army officer was directly in charge of arms procurement during the last administration and was required to provide an explanation on some of the arms deals and equipment supplied.
The source added that the EFCC had forwarded a letter to the Army Headquarters and other services of the military, requesting the release of some serving officers for interrogation in connection with the $2.1bn arms probe.
It was stated that the EFCC’s letter contained a comprehensive list of military personnel whose names came up in the process of the investigation and others believed to have occupied certain positions in the last administration. The source added that the focus of the investigation was shifting to the military’s involvement in the arms procurement deals.
The source said, “The Army officer, I believe, a colonel, has been with us for two weeks. Before he was invited to report to the Task Force investigating the arms procurement scandal, the commission wrote to the Army Headquarters, requesting his release for interrogation.
“Apart from him, the commission wrote the Army Headquarters and other services for the release of several serving officers and also wrote to retired officials in relation to the ongoing probe.
“The commission has a list, a comprehensive list of serving and retired military personnel that they want to interrogate.”
A senior military officer explained that the EFCC could not have picked up a colonel without the standard procedure of securing his release from the Army authorities. The source explained that every military officer was subject to two laws – the military law and the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
The source added that since the Director, Legal Services of the Army was Secretary of the Presidential Panel on Arms Procurement, recommendations might have been made in some quarters.
The source said, “Every officer of the military is subject to two laws: the military law and the constitution. You know that the secretary of the Presidential Panel on Arms Procurement is the Director, Army Legal Services.
“I am yet to see such correspondence but I doubt very much if they are going to arrest a colonel without his release by the Army.
“However, you must know that this is a democracy and you must be accountable for your actions.’’
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