BY AMOS DUNIA, ABUJA – The House of Representatives has mandated a Joint Committee on National Security and Intelligence and Public Procurement to investigate the Jon-Ode led Presidential Arms probe panel which was recently disbanded by the Federal Government.
The Joint Committee, co-chaired by Hon. Aminu Sani Jaji of Committee on National Security and Intelligence and Hon. Oluwole Oke of the Committee on Public Procurement, has called for submission of written memoranda/position papers from top government officials and 241 firms.
Those invited to make submissions of their memoranda include the Chairman and members of the Jon-ode Arms Probe Panel, National Security Adviser (NSA), Ministers of Defence, Finance, Interior, Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, Accountant General of the Federation and Auditor General of the Federation.
Others include the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Service Chiefs and Ex-Service Chiefs from 2010 to 2016, Director General, Department of State Service (DSS), Director General, National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Director General of the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), Executive Chairman, Federal Inland Revenue Service, Director General of the Pension Commission (PENCOM), Director General of the Industrial Training Fund and Managing Director Social Insurance Trust Fund.
The arm probe panel was inaugurated in 2015 by the Presidency to investigate procurement of hardware and ammunitions in the Armed Forces from 2007 to 2015 and to identify irregularities and make recommendations for streamlining the procurement process in the military.
The panel had submitted its first interim report in November 2015 while it presented the second report in January 2016 following which President Muhammadu Buhari ordered the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to investigate some serving and retired military officers, mainly from the Nigerian Air Force (NAF).
The President also directed investigation on the roles of the officers as well as some companies and their directors in fundamental breaches associated with the procurements by the Office of the National Security Adviser and the Nigerian Air Force.
However, during their investigations, some members of the arm probe panel were accused of receiving bribes from individuals and companies that were being probed by the same panel. One of the members was later arrested and detained by Department of State Services for money-laundering and illegal possession of firearms.
Concerned about the development, some serving security officers accused the panel members of criminalizing critical institutions and indicting groups and individuals through media trials.
Members of the disbanded probe panel included AVM Jon Ode – Chairman while others were Rear Admiral J.A. Aikhomu (retd.); Rear Admiral. E. Ogbor (retd.); Brig.-Gen. L. Adekagun (retd.); Brig.-Gen. M. Aminu-Kano (retd.); Brig.-Gen. N. Rimtip (retd.); Cdre T.D. Ikoli; Air Cdre U. Mohammed (retd.); Air Cdre I. Shafi’i; Col. A.A. Ariyibi; Group Capt C.A. Oriaku (rtd.); Acting Chairman of the EFCC, Mr. Ibrahim Magu and Brig-Gen Y.I. Shalangwa as its Secretary.
