The Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP) has asked the National
Security Adviser (NSA), Major General Mohammed Babagana Monguno (retired)
to resign over the shady dealings he superintended at the Presidential
Investigative Committee on Arms Procurement saying the indictment and
arrest of a member of that committee by the Department of State Services
(DSS) is an indictment for which he must leave office within seven days or
face nationwide protests.
Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr
Ibrahim Magu similarly came in for hard knocks as he was also asked to
resign within the same time-frame over his indictment by the DSS.
The conference in a statement issued in Abuja on Wednesday by its National
Chairman, Alhaji Balarabe Musa and Secretary General, Chief Willy Ezugwu
noted that it was not possible that Air Commodore Umar Muhammed (rtd), who
was arrested by the DSS for alleged fraudulent deals involving top
government officials, could have acted without Monguno’s involvement.
The statement said claiming ignorance of the dirty deals implies the
National Security Adviser was lax in finding out what went on under his
watch, which is worse than being part of the massive theft.
It explained that “The same offence that the entire country is crucifying
the former NSA, retired Colonel Sambo Dasuki for has been committed all
over again by Monguno as the incumbent and that Nigerians must not be
tolerant of such crime.
The CNPP statement warned that Nigerians and the international community
are watching to see that the DSS makes the findings from its investigations
public while actions must be taken against those indicted.
It stressed that “A situation where the Office of the NSA and the EFCC
arrest and recover money from corrupt persons only turn around and steal
the recovered amounts was horrifying. This is why indicted people are
subsequently cleared by the same agencies that indicted them without the
benefit of being tried in the law courts and this is no longer acceptable.
The anti-corruption fight does not require lip service at this time that
Nigerians are feeling the pains of the damage done by corruption.
“This is why we are demanding that Mohammed Monguno and the EFCC Chairman,
Mr Ibrahim Magu must resign. Distancing themselves from the fraud uncovered
by the DSS was not enough. They must also stop chanting the cliché of
corruption is fighting. Since the EFCC and ONSA were both mentioned in the
report about the arrest of Air Commodore Umar Muhammed (rtd) the onus is
now on Monguno and Magu to do the right thing by standing down to allow for
unhindered investigation,” the conference demanded.
According to the CNPP, President Muhammadu Buhari must by now recognise the
threat to the credibility of his anti-corruption fight with the conflict of
interest around his NSA and the anti-corruption chief.
“Mr President cannot carry on as if what Nigerians think does not matter as
they are waiting for him to repeat the Dasuki treatment with all those
indicted on the committee. If these two men and their accomplices are not
immediately sacked and prosecuted we shall lead Nigerians in their
thousands in street protests because it will imply we have been defrauded
with the anti-corruption fight,” it warned.
The group rejected any attempt to interfere in the investigation of the DDS
as it warned that any panel set up now by the NSA amounted to being a judge
in his own case since he was indicted in the scam at the Presidential
Investigative Committee on Arms Procurement, which is under his
jurisdiction.