Dasukigate: Ex-Army Boss, Ihejirika On EFCC’s Radar Again
Former Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt-General Azubuike Ihejirika (rtd) has again come under the Economic Financial Crime Commission (EFCC)’s radar over his alleged involvement in the $2.1 billion arms procurement scandal popularly called ‘Dasukigate’
After series of illicit deals were revealed by an interim report of the presidential investigations committee on arms procurement under President Goodluck Jonathan administration, President Muhammadu Buhari had pledged to ensure the prosecution all those indicted in the scam.
According to a source, the former army chief would be released on administrative bail as soon as EFCC operatives are done with preliminary interrogations on the matter.
He was reportedly escorted into the grilling room at the Anti-graft agency’s headquarters at about 11am on Wednesday, February 21, 2018.
Ihejirika’s invitation and subsequent interrogation by the EFCC is coming about 20 months after President Buhari had insisted on the prosecution of all those indicted by the panel for the embezzlement of $2 billion through the office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) under the leadership of Colonel Sambo Dasuki
An EFCC source hinted that Ihejirika is being quizzed in relation to the procurement of arms and ammunition during his time as Nigeria’s Chief of Army Staff (COAS).
The source hinted that plans are on to release the former COAS on administrative bail as soon as the Commission officials are done with their preliminary questioning.
Reports quote Premium Times as disclosing that the ex-Army boss, who led the Nigerian army between September 2010 and January 2014, requested for time to retrieve relevant documents on the arms deal from his Maitama residence as he did not have ready answers to some of the questions thrown at him.
Questioned by the Department of State Security (DSS) over the ‘Dasukigate’ early last year, Lt-General Ihejirika continued to maintain that the allegations against him are ‘frivolous and unfounded’.
