A frontline Second Republic politician and Northern leader, Dr. Junaid
Mohammed told The Guardian yesterday that some cabal in the Presidency
doctored the Arms Procurement Probe Report to shield the former Chief of
Army Staff and Minister of Interior, Major General Abdulrahman Dambazau
(rtd) and former Director of Procurements, Defence Headquarters, who is
also current Chief Of Army Staff, Major General Tukur Buratai.
Mohammed said: “Nigerians should recall that the three Chiefs of Army
Staff who served during the period under review included Major General
Abdulrahman Dambazau, who is also the current Minister of Interior, Major
General Azubuike Ihejirika, Major General Kenneth Minimah and Major
General Tukur Buratai, who before his appointment as the current Chief of
Army Staff, was Director of Procurement, Defence Headquarters for years.
“The Report of the Committee was doctored in the Presidency by some cabal
after it was submitted, to shield Dambazau and Buratai who were allegedly
indicted.
“Dambazau is a close ally of Alhaji Mamman Daura, who is President
Buhari’s nephew, and also head of the ‘cabal’ in Buhari’s presidency
today. Buratai is an ally of Dambazau and President Buhari. So there is no
way the Presidency will not shield the duo.”
Mohammed said that there was no way Buratai and Dambazau would not have
been indicted in the Report, having served as director of procurement in
the Defence Headquarters and Chief of Army Staff under the period
reviewed.
“Why is Ihejirika under any form of detention now? Why is he being
harassed, when the Presidency is shielding some persons indicted in the
report? Is it because he is not President’s ally or not from the North?
President Buhari should publish the original copy of the Report, the way
that of Nigerian Air Force mess was made public.
“Nigerians should know that as far as the cabal holds sway in Aso Rock,
nothing will happen to Dambazua and Buratai,” Mohammed noted.A source in
the Presidency who craved anonymity told The Guardian that Dambazua was
not indicted in the Report, because during his era as Chief of Army Staff,
awarding of contracts and procurement of arms was being carried out by the
Ministry of Defence, not office of the Chief of Army Staff.
“It was after Dambazua left office that his successor took charge of
awarding of contracts and procurement in the service. So there is no iota
of truth in the allegation that the report was doctored to shield him.”
On why Mohammed is alleging that the report was doctored to shield
Dambazua, the source said: “You know that Mohammed and Dambazua are from
Kano State. It has something to do with politics of the State, and choice
of minister from the State. Some persons from the state preferred somebody
else, specifically President Buhari’s longtime ally who got himself
involved corruption act, not Dambazau, to be minister. They are not
comfortable with his choice, but that was the President’s decision.
However, the Federal Government yesterday said there is no truth in the
insinuation that the report of the Presidential Committee on the Audit of
Defence Equipment Procurement in the Armed Forces (2007-2015) was doctored
for whatever reasons.
-The Guardian