Presidential arms panel report ready, huge fraud uncovered

The report of the Presidential Committee on Defence Equipment Procurement in the

President Muhammadu Buhari set up the committee to probe the procurement of arms, ammunition and equipment in the military from 2007 to 2015.

According to Premium Times, several top retired army officers were indicted, with some already scheming to suppress the content of the report.

“The committee members are putting things together and will present their findings to the President next week or so,” a source said.

It was gathered that the committee uncovered a lot of shady deals, including the outright stealing of money meant for equipment for the army, inflation of contract, diversion of money for soldiers’ welfare, money for the rehabilitation of barracks and military facilities and many other corrupt practices.

The committee, mainly made up of retired military officers, had in March 2016, summoned 292 retired and serving top army officers.

Pulse recalls that in August 2015, Buhari had directed the National Security Adviser, Mohammed Mongonu, to set up a 13-member investigative committee on the procurement of hardware and munitions in the Armed Forces from 2007.

READ: ‘Buratai should be included in arms deal probe,’ Group says

The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, had explained in a statement that the mandate of the investigative was to identify irregularities and make recommendations for streamlining the procurement process in the armed forces.