PRNigeria, an agency which distributes press statements for organisations and individuals in Nigeria, has said that contrary to public perception, not all funds disbursed from the office of the National Securty Adviser, ONSA are meant for arms procurement.
The firm in a statement Thursday denied that former NSA, Sambo Dasuki implicated some past governors and officials of the Peoples Democratic Party.
It also said “not all funds in Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) are related to arm procurement as being alleged.”
The Economic and Financial Crimes, EFCC, is presently investigating how over $2.2 billion meant for the procurement of arms and ammunition for Nigerian armed forces were allegedly diverted for political and other purposes.
The investigation is the outcome of a presidential investigation committee, which has now indicted a lot of officials within and outside the ONSA.
President Muhammadu had on receipt of the interim report of the committee directed that all those indicted in the report be arrested.
EFCC so far have in detention the former NSA, Dasuki, and former Minister of state for Finance, Bashir Yuguda, owner of AIT/Raypower, Raymond Dokpesi as well as a former governor of Sokoto state, Attahiru Bafarawa.
Others in detention include the son of Mr. Bafarawa, Sagir Bafarawa, and that of a former Minister of Defence, Bello Mohammed, Abba Mohammed.
Mr. Yuguda allegedly received N1.5billion from the former NSA’s office through an unnamed company, for unstated purpose.
Sagir Bafarawa, allegedly acting as front for his father, received N4.6billion from the NSA’s office, while Mohammed, on his part got N600milion in the name of Bam Properties Limited.
Also in the custody of the anti-graft agency is Shuaibu Salisu, a former director of finance and administration in the former NSA’s office.
Mr. Salisu, a staff of the National Intelligence Agency, was a joint signatory with Mr. Dasuki to the NSA’s office account and EFCC operatives are accusing him of “supervising some dubious payments”.
A source told PREMIUM TIMES that intelligence reports had so far allegedly linked Mr. Salisu to the ownership of luxury properties in Abuja and Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.
PRNigeria, which is known for distributing press releases on behalf of Nigerian security agencies, however, said “The office of the National Security Adviser manages several funds for national security and other special interventions which are not related to Boko Haram or arm procurement.
“They include recurrent expenditures and miscellaneous expenses under Special Service Office (SSO) to fund special projects and programmes, including capacity building, refreshment, travelling, office maintenance, crisis communication and supports to special causes and Non-Governmental Organisations.
“Most of the figures being bandied were taken from the special funds meant for the purposes that they were spent and not on the so-called arms deal.”
“All over the world, there are lots of expenditures of national security and sensitive matters that are not ridiculed in the press,” the agency said.
A presidential investigations committee into arms procurement under the Goodluck Jonathan administration had said in its interim report that it found extra-budgetary spending by the Jonathan administration to the tune of N643.8 billion and an additional $2.2 billion in the foreign currency component.
