By Ikechukwu Okaforadi
A pro democracy group, Patriots for the Advancement Of Peace and Social Development (PAPSD), has called on President Muhmmadu Buhari to immediately direct the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to commence a thorough investigation into allegations of missing arms funds.
This call for probe by PAPSD was sequel to allegation by the National Security Adviser (NSA) to the President, Major General Babagana Monguno (Rtd), that the $1billion funds meant for the purchase of arms to strengthen Nigeria’s anti-terror war got missing under the leadership of the immediate past service chiefs.
This is as the group also cautioned the NSA to stop playing politics with the lives of Nigerians with his unguarded utterances.
Recall that Mongonu had in an interview with BBC Hausa Service claimed that funds meant for the purchase of arms to strengthen Nigeria’s anti-terror war got missing under the leadership of the ex-service chiefs, though he has amended his assertions.
“No one knows what happened to the money but by God’s grace, the president will investigate to find out whether the money was spent and where the arms went.
“It is not that we are not working to end the security challenge in the country. The president has done his own part and allocated huge amount of money to purchase weapons but they are yet to be here. We don’t know where they are”, General Monguno had told the BBC Hausa Service.
To this end, in a statement in Abuja, the Executive Director of PAPSD, Sani Abdulahi Shinkafi, stated that “the National Security Adviser, NSA Babagana Monguno has once again proven his incapacity to perform and has by divine providence exposed his selfish agenda at the most difficult and challenging time for Nigeria.
“Perhaps, that explains why late Chief of Staff, Abba Kyari, did not allow the NSA to take full control and powers of security related issues because of the tendency of undermining his employer for purely selfish reasons has been manifestly clear.
“We call on President Buhari to immediately direct the EFCC and ICPC to investigate the alleged missing money without further delay, as the allegation cannot be swept under the carpet because Nigerians would want to know what happened to the huge resources allocated to the fight against insurgency and the procurement of arms and ammunition” he added.
He pointed out that “NSA Monguno has become a huge liability not only to the Buhari administration but to many innocent families that were victims and casualties of his gross ineptitude and ambition. His clear and open indictment of the former Service Chiefs regarding the purchase of arms, even though he is also living in a glasshouse, has left the Presidency with no option than to engage in a damage control strategy that may not work.”
Shinkafi stated that the NSA should be held responsible for the current escalation of banditry and kidnappings, particularly across the North West, adding “As a security and intelligence chief, his recent comments through the media, has not only been reckless but unprofessional and provocative.
“Managing security issues is beyond the display of the usual rhetoric, fluent grammar or open and direct threats to criminals that are largely ignorant of even their own religion and under the influence of drugs. What Monguno and his likes succeeds in doing is provoking and instigating the highly armed bandits to go against innocent citizens, even as he is fully aware that declaring war at a time you know you don’t have the capacity to fully protect people’s lives and properties, is insensitive, unprofessional and highly irresponsible because the vulnerable public will be at the receiving end of such careless statements.
“We have as a result seen an escalation in abduction, particularly in Niger and Kaduna states, with the military clearly unable to prevent it. Monguno has dismissed the option of dialogue and engagement and the use of kinetic and non-kinetic approach, as recommended in a communique issued by the Northern Governors Forum during their meeting in Kaduna, because of the desire to get President Buhari’s approval of $1 billion for the purchase of arms, even though previous approvals could not end banditry and insurgency.
“NSA Monguno is not capable of executing this important tasks and the earlier the government realized that it cannot succeed with an NSA that has multiple interests, at the expense of innocent blood, the better for its legacy and the society that are being ravaged by attacks every day”, he said.
Shinkafi noted that “Mongonu’s reckless statement has been sending very wrong signals as his response during the said interview to the claims of Governor Matawalle that President Buhari has approved the deployment of additional 6000 troops to Zamfara state was in very bad taste. The NSA knows very well that a sitting Governor is not likely to make such claims if the President did not actually approve it more so as such announcement is coming from an opposition Governor. The best an opposition Governor will do in such circumstances if it is not true is to further indict the APC federal government but not to give it a credit of approving such large troops. For the NSA to expose the deficiency of his government to categorically say that he as the NSA is not aware of the approval of additional troops to Zamfara even if it is true is most unfortunate.”
