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Arms Saga: Military Audit Report Clears Jonathan
The final report of President Muhammadu Buhari’s probe panel, tagged the Presidential Arms Audit Panel has exonerated former president, Dr Goodluck Jonathan, from complicity in the alleged shoddy arms deals.
A pro-democracy group, Hope for Nigeria, which disclosed this to newsmen, yesterday, said that the final report of the panel, inaugurated at the outset of Buhari’s administration, was not made available to the public because the prime target, Goodluck Jonathan, was exonerated by the investigators to the disappointment of the government.
The 13-man presidential panel, set up by Buhari to audit arms purchased between 2007 and 2015, the group said, confirmed that the former president was not involved in any procurement and never allowed his office to be involved in arms purchases within the period under review.
According to the document obtained by the group from the Presidency, the panel went further to state that arms were actually bought, but admitted that some of them did not go through due process.
The panel, in its preliminary investigations, had claimed that it discovered the immediate past National Security Adviser (NSA), Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd) diverted N13.2 billion (not $2.1billion) of funds meant for procurement of arms for the Nigeria military.
The panel report did not mention anything like purchasing unserviceable weapons or substandard arms as reported in the media and claimed by some government officials.
The panel made up of distinguished Nigerians toured military formations across the country to undertake physical verification of military hardware and equipment either bought or claimed to have been bought during the period under review.
The panel submitted its first interim report in November, 2015, and presented the second report in January, 2016, the document noted.
During the investigation, some members of the arms probe panel were accused of receiving bribes from individuals and companies that were being investigated by the same panel.
Some serving security officials also said the panel had accused groups and individuals via the media without giving them opportunity to defend themselves in court.
The interim report of the audit panel confirmed that the administration of the former president purchased arms and equipment for the military, which were distributed to various military formations across the country, particularly the North-East geo-political zone for counter-insurgency operations.
The group alleged that the final report, which is still held in secrecy by the Presidency, stated that former President Goodluck Jonathan did not involve himself and his office in procurement, and demanded proof of purchases and delivery in most cases.
Issues like, absence of contract agreements, award of contracts beyond authorized thresholds, transfer of public funds for unidentified purposes, and general non-adherence to provisions of the Public Procurement Act, were generally addressed by the panel.
The arms probe panel report stated that some award letters for the equipment and arms purchase contracts contained misleading delivery dates, suggesting fraudulent intent in some of the contracts.
There are several indictments on serving military officers and companies that failed to perform their contract obligations, the report added.
Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, has called on Nigerians to reject silence in the face of extrajudicial killings and other abuses of human rights.
Soyinka stressed that accountability and civic courage remain essential to rebuilding public confidence in the nation’s institutions.
He made the call during the 28th Wole Soyinka Lecture held in Port Harcourt, last Friday as part of activities marking his 92nd birthday.
The lecture, themed “Reclaiming the Nigerian State through Accountability, Justice and Civic Courage,” drew participants from different sectors of society.
The renowned playwright and human rights advocate said the country’s greatest tragedy was not only the unlawful killings carried out by state and non-state actors, but also the silence that often follows such incidents, allowing perpetrators to evade justice.
According to him, indifference by citizens to abuses of power and violations of fundamental human rights has contributed to the persistence of extrajudicial killings and other forms of injustice across the country.
Soyinka said he dedicated this year’s lecture to victims of unlawful killings, noting that the event was intended to honour individuals who had lost their lives as a result of failures within the justice system and society’s inability to protect the sanctity of human life.
He stressed that the lecture was dedicated to what he described as the basic unit of every society – the human being, and urged Nigerians to place greater value on human dignity irrespective of ethnicity, religion or social status.
The Nobel Laureate recalled several incidents of violence, including the fatal shooting and killing of a young man in Ugheli in Delta State by a police officer, and the mob killing of Deborah Yakubu in Sokoto State sometime ago, lamenting that many of those responsible are yet to face justice.
He expressed concern that some perpetrators of violent crimes had openly admitted their actions without fear of prosecution, describing such situations as evidence of serious failures within the nation’s justice system.
Soyinka maintained that when justice is delayed or denied, public confidence in state institutions continues to erode, thereby encouraging further violations of human rights.
Responding to critics who accuse him of promoting religious or ethnic divisions whenever he spoke on such issues, Soyinka dismissed the allegations and pointed out that his advocacy has always centred on the protection of human life and the rule of law.
He urged Nigerians to remain vigilant and continue demanding justice in cases of alleged extrajudicial killings, including the recent shooting of a young man by a police officer, stressing that every life deserves equal protection under the law.
The literary icon also recalled an earlier pledge by a past incoming president to make public the files relating to unresolved assassinations and extrajudicial killings, questioning the status of the promised investigations.
He challenged citizens to continue asking questions about unresolved cases, insisting that justice, accountability and respect for human dignity are indispensable to building a peaceful, democratic and inclusive Nigerian society.
The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has clarified that there was no fire at Terminal 2 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, contrary to its earlier advisory.
Earlier yesterday, FAAN had announced that a fire incident had occurred at Terminal 2 of the nation’s busiest airport, and assured that its Aerodrome Rescue and Firefighting Service had been deployed to contain the situation.
There were also reports that activities were briefly disrupted at the airport yesterday after smoke was seen inside parts of the terminal.
Videos circulating online showed passengers kept standing outside the terminal while firefighters responded to the incident.
However, in an update issued less than two hours later by the Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Henry Agbebire, and posted on FAAN’s official X handle, the authority said preliminary findings showed that the smoke seen at the terminal was caused by the discharge of the facility’s FM-200 fire suppression system.
“Further to our earlier advisory regarding the incident at Terminal 2 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) wishes to provide the following update,” the statement read.
“Preliminary findings indicate that there was no fire at the terminal. The smoke observed within the affected area resulted from the discharge of the terminal’s FM-200 fire suppression system. The reason for the activation of the fire suppression system is currently being investigated,” FAAN stated.
The authority said normal operations had resumed at the terminal while investigations were ongoing to determine the cause of the incident.
“Normal operations have since resumed at the terminal, while detailed investigations are ongoing to determine the exact cause of the incident,” the statement added.
The authority thanked passengers, airlines, airport users and other stakeholders for their understanding and cooperation.
FAAN appreciated the understanding and cooperation of passengers, airlines, airport users and all stakeholders, and reiterated its commitment to the safety and security of all airport operations.