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| Nigeria's Former Chief of Air Staff |
The Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has been quizzing Nigeria’s former Chief of
Air Staff, Air Marshal Adesola Amosu in connection with the $2.1billion arms
deals probe.
The former air
force chief was detained by the EFCC on Tuesday following revelations that he
also played in key role in the diversion of funds meant for purchase of arms to
battle Islamist sect, Boko Haram.
According to The
Nation, Amosun is expected to shed light on more than 10 contracts valued
at $930,500,960 were awarded by the Nigerian Air Force between January 2014 and
February 2015 and why NAF bought used Mi-24V helicopters instead of Mi-35M
series.”
§ Payment of
N4,402,687,569.41 for unexecuted contracts;
§ Procurement of
two used Mi-24V helicopters instead of the recommended Mi-35M series at
$136,944,000.00;
§ Purchase of Four
used Alpha-Jets for the NAF at US$7,180,000.00 funded by ONSA;
§ Cannibalisation
of engines from NAF fleet to justify procurement of jets; and
§ Excessive pricing
of 36D6 Low Level Air Defence Radar at $33m instead of $6m per one.
§ Delivery of radars
without vital component of Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) that
distinguishes between own and adversary aircraft, transfer of $2m
to Mono Marine Corporation Nigeria Limited, owned by some Air Force officers
and N15bn spent on the maintenance of Alpha-Jets, C-130H aircraft and
Mi-24V/35P helicopters.
§ N2.5billion
contracts awarded to Syrius Technologies ( an Ukrainian company) not registered
in Nigeria
§ Why out of
seven contracts worth N599,118,000.00 awarded to Defence Industry
Corporation of Nigeria (DICON);only two were delivered
Apart from Amosu,
the EFCC will also be interrogating AVM A. M. Mamu (the Chief of
Administration); AVM O.T.Oguntoyinbo (former Director of Production, Defence
Headquarters); AVM R.A. Ojuawo (Air Officer Tactical Air Command, Makurdi; AVM
J.B. Adigun (former Chief of Accounts and Budgeting in NAF); and AVM J.A.
Kayode-Beckley(Director, Armament Research in Air Force Research and
Development Centre); AVM T. Omenyi (MD, NAF Holdings), four top officers at the
Defence Headquarters (DHQ), Air Cdre AO Ogunjobi; Air Cdre G.M.D. Gwani; Air
Cdre S.O. Makinde; Air Cdre A.Y. Lassa and Col. N. Ashinze , who was the
Special Military Assistant to Col. Dasuki (retd).
Former National
Security adviser, Sambo Dasuki had insisted that Amosu confirmed the delivery
of the four Alpha Jets and 12 helicopters.
“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”, Dasuki wrote in a letter to a
separate panel probing what has been termed #armsgate or
#Dasukigate.
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