5 Things Every Nigerian Should Know About Dasuki’s $2bn Probe
Ever since the arrest of Colonel Sambo Dasuki, the former
National Security Adviser (NSA), many cans of worms have been thrown
open, especially after his transfer to the Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission (EFCC)
Since then, there have been series of other arrests and listing of some top guns believed to have benefited from the largess which the ex-NSA boss was clearly bossed before the end of the immediate past administration of Dr Goodluck Jonathan.
While Dasuki’s arrest is perceived in some quarters as another witch-hunt by President Muhammadu Buhari, several other observers have hailed the president for taking such drastic steps in arresting and interrogating the man who was said to be helping with the fight against dreaded Islamist sect, Boko Haram.
But, his arrest has led to series of unprecedented revelations by some of the aides of the former president as well as those who were in one way or the other connected to the office of the NSA.
Although he has (through his lawyer) since denied reports that he mentioned some names as his accomplice in the multi-billion naira arms deal scandal, EFCC sources insist that he wrote down his confession after being availed of a copy of the statement written by Shaibu Salisu, a former director of finance in the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA).
Naij.com has therefore identified seven facts about the arrest of the ex-NSA which Nigerians must know as the questioning and subsequent prosecution of the retired Colonel continues.
Dokpesi’s Confession
After his arrest by the anti-graft agency, the proprietor of Daar Communications, Chief Raymond Dokpesi, told EFCC operatives that he actually collected N2.1billion from Dasuki, but stated further that the amount was used for campaign and publicity.
After the statement was made, the media practitioner had his house ransacked by operatives of the commission amid uncertainties about his involvement in the scandal.
As at the time of filing this report, an EFCC source stated that Dokpesi is among those who they have decided to ‘keep’ in custody to further help them with investigations.
Aminu’s Arrest
While everyone was still trying to swallow the fact that the former NSA had been handed over to the EFCC for questioning and further interrogation, news surfaced about the arrest of one of his aides, Alhaji Aminu Baba Kusa, who is believed to be a beneficiary of Dasuki’s largess.
Kusa, a member of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) and the
chairman of An-Nur Mosque in Abuja, is being accused, alongside his son,
of charges ranging from criminal conspiracy, theft, forgery, diversion
of public funds, to money laundering.Since then, there have been series of other arrests and listing of some top guns believed to have benefited from the largess which the ex-NSA boss was clearly bossed before the end of the immediate past administration of Dr Goodluck Jonathan.
While Dasuki’s arrest is perceived in some quarters as another witch-hunt by President Muhammadu Buhari, several other observers have hailed the president for taking such drastic steps in arresting and interrogating the man who was said to be helping with the fight against dreaded Islamist sect, Boko Haram.
But, his arrest has led to series of unprecedented revelations by some of the aides of the former president as well as those who were in one way or the other connected to the office of the NSA.
Although he has (through his lawyer) since denied reports that he mentioned some names as his accomplice in the multi-billion naira arms deal scandal, EFCC sources insist that he wrote down his confession after being availed of a copy of the statement written by Shaibu Salisu, a former director of finance in the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA).
Naij.com has therefore identified seven facts about the arrest of the ex-NSA which Nigerians must know as the questioning and subsequent prosecution of the retired Colonel continues.
Dokpesi’s Confession
After his arrest by the anti-graft agency, the proprietor of Daar Communications, Chief Raymond Dokpesi, told EFCC operatives that he actually collected N2.1billion from Dasuki, but stated further that the amount was used for campaign and publicity.
After the statement was made, the media practitioner had his house ransacked by operatives of the commission amid uncertainties about his involvement in the scandal.
As at the time of filing this report, an EFCC source stated that Dokpesi is among those who they have decided to ‘keep’ in custody to further help them with investigations.
Aminu’s Arrest
While everyone was still trying to swallow the fact that the former NSA had been handed over to the EFCC for questioning and further interrogation, news surfaced about the arrest of one of his aides, Alhaji Aminu Baba Kusa, who is believed to be a beneficiary of Dasuki’s largess.
Alhaji Aminu Kusa is being accused alongside his son of being involved in multiple shady deals.
Dasuki’s Revelation
Nigerians were also stunned when the ex-NSA started listing the names of some top politicians in the country, especially Chief Bode George, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Peter Odili, a former governor of Rivers state in his confessions to the anti-graft agency.
While Chief George has said that he does not know Dasuki, the former Rivers governor is yet to give any comment on the said revelation by the retired Colonel.
The ex-NSA boss was said to have mentioned
Chief Bode George and former Rivers governor, Peter Odili in his
confession to the EFCC
But the singular fact that their names were mentioned at all by the
EFCC sources point to the fact that they may be involved in one way or
the other.Ex-Minister Bashir Yuguda
Alongside Dokpesi and other unnamed suspects in the phoney arms deal, a former minister of state for finance, Bashir Yuguda, was nabbed together with other top officials from the office of the NSA over the controversial arms procurement scandal.
It was revealed further that EFCC sources confirmed that a huge amount of money, running into billions, meant for arms procurement was allegedly traced to the former minister.
Former minister of state for finance, Bashir Yuguda, is also among those being mentioned in the arms deal scandal.
This also clearly points out another anomaly with the scandal for
which Dasuki is expected to make further revelations in the coming days.Former Sokoto state governor, Attahiru Bafarawa
And in the most bizarre case of all the accused arrested, the Attahiru Bafarawa, a former Sokoto state governor, was said to have informed that he collected the amount linked to him for some ‘spiritual’ purposes, only for one of his aides, Alhaji Akibu Dalhatu, to issue a statement that it was not so.
Attahiru Bafarawa, a former governor of Sokoto state, is also one of the accomplice reportedly mentioned by the former NSA.
In the statement, the aide noted that the story about the former
governor collecting huge amounts of money from the former NSA, was
concocted by some media practitioners aimed at rubbishing the image of
his boss.Dalhatu also informed that Bafarawa was not arrested, he argued that the ex-governor was invited and he honoured the invitation when he returned from his trip abroad.
Further revelations have since been made by Dasuki, as he informed that he was given an ‘oral’ permission by the former president Jonathan, to give out the monies which he gave out, and for which he is being presently questioned.
Nigerians will be waiting with rapt attention to see those who will be further mentioned in the confessions of the ex-NSA boss, as the court has also stalled hearing on his case.
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