$2.1b arms scandal: ACF, other northern groups want Jonathan arrested

Following startling revelations coming to light in $2.1 billion arms procurement scandal, some northern groups have called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and other anti-graft agencies to pick up former President Goodluck Jonathan for interrogation.

The call is coming after the arrest of some persons alleged to have been involved in the misappropriation of the funds meant for the purchase of arms to strengthen military might in the fight against insurgency.

The groups, argued that Jonathan should also be held accountable for the crimes of the suspects as the President of the country at the time.

According to the Coalition of Northern Politicians, Academics, Professionals and Businessmen, there were many questions begging for answer which Jonathan and the immediate past Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, should give answers to.

The Convener of the group, Dr. Junaid Mohammed, also questioned the allocation of public funds to the office of the NSA, which he described as only playing an advisory role and lacking in operational powers, describing spending of the said public funds without due approval by the National Assembly as a “criminal offence.”

“It is a major international scandal, national disgrace and embarrassment. Given the fact that Jonathan was the one in charge, whether effectively or not is beside the point, if he is found to have been complicit in the bastardising of our national treasury, he should be called in to answer questions, whether the EFCC goes to him or he is physically called in to the agency’s office.

“They should go to him wherever he is, whether in this country or outside. He should be questioned. If the need arises for him to be questioned again and again and again, the EFCC should not hesitate to do so. I believe Nigerians are angry that so far, he has not answered any question.

“The last time he commented on it, he was in the United States, and he said the money was too much. If he has his own figures, he should give out the figures he has to the EFCC, the Department of Security Services and those investigating the case. If he doesn’t show contrary figures, he has no business disputing the ones available.

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“The fact that the office was bastardised by this Dasuki fellow and other people to be awarding contracts and financing the campaign systems of the Peoples Democratic Party shows that there was something fundamentally amiss. And we now have to dig to the very bottom and we cannot get to the bottom without questioning Jonathan.

“Also, under our system and this is in the constitution, money which has not been appropriated cannot be spent. It is a fundamental principle of financial management in a democratic government. But the money Dasuki and others spent was not appropriated by the National Assembly.”

Speaking in the same vein, the Coordinator, Federation of Middle Belt People, Mr. Manasseh Watyil, said Jonathan, as the Chief Executive Officer of the country at the time, should be held responsible for the alleged atrocities that went on in his government, accussing the former president of spending without due appropriation by the National Assembly.

He said: “As far as the middle belt is concerned, Jonathan had his lapses. I believe that the money was given to Dasuki out of the security vote. So Jonathan should be questioned. He needs to be questioned because there was no check and balance in his tenure.

“He allowed his officials to do whatever they felt like doing and that is why they ran into this problem. The National Assembly was supposed to know about it if there would be any procurement of arms or weapons and the lawmakers should have approved it before the disbursement of the funds.

“We need to know the source of the money. Where did the money come from? The former President is supposed to be held responsible because he was the Chief Executive Officer of the country. So for any mismanagement, he should be held accountable.”

Also, the north’s frontline social cultural group, The Arewa Consultative Forum, ACF, accused Jonathan of giving undue powers to Dasuki.

National Publicity Secretary of ACF, Alhaji Mohammed Ibrahim, said that grilling the former President over the issue would teach his successors a lesson.

He said: “I think it is very necessary (to question Jonathan) so that it will be a lesson for other presidents that they should not leave everything to their special advisers.

“If it is found that the President has some questions to answer, there is nothing bad in it. It is being done all over the world. And as a president, you must take responsibility for actions taken during your regime. The former President was informed because he had people who gave him candid opinions about what was going on, but he pretended that nothing was going on then. He thought that every criticism was sponsored by the opposition.”

Mohammed, however, urged the Federal Government and anti-graft agencies “not to allow politics to influence the investigation.”

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