The Defence Headquarters has warned that any military officer that is indicted in the ongoing probe by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on how $2.1 billion meant for procurement of arms by former National Security Adviser, Col Sambo Dasuki (rtd), was diverted to politicians, will be made to face interrogation and prosecution.The Director of Defence Information, DDI, Brig-Gen. Rabe Abubakar, gave the warning yesterday in reaction to recent reports that a Colonel attached to Dasuki while in office had been implicated in the misappropriation of the funds.
According to the report, the EFCC had written to the Chief of Defence Staff, General Gabriel Olonisakin, seeking his consent to release some senior serving military officers linked to the arms scandal for interrogation.
The unnamed Colonel, who was said to be in charge of the arms procurement, is reported to have been in EFCC’s custody for over one week.
Speaking with Thisday, the defence spokesman said the military would release any officer found linked to the arms deal to face either the Presidential Arms Probe Committee or the anti-graft agencies.
Brig.-Gen. Abubakar, who stressed that the DHQ would not stand in the way of the law said: “I am not a member of the committee investigating the arms procurement. However, corruption is not a good thing for any country that hopes to develop and carry out fundamental duties of governance. It is a disease that requires the collective effort of good citizens to eradicate.
“The issue of arresting an officer involved, I don’t have such information, but I believe anybody, either soldier or civilian, found wanting can be invited by the committee because this is a national revival for the betterment of our nation.
“More so, nobody is above the law. The military like any segment of the society operates within the law. So whoever acts outside the law must be held accountable to move our country forward”.