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$2bn SCAM: EFCC denies witch-hunting DSS officials, says invitation normal

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The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has denied that its invitation to officials of Department of State Services (DSS) involved in the $2 billion arms scam allegedly committed by a former National Security Adviser (NSA), Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd.), for questioning has any witch-hunting intent.

The commission frowned that the DSS has continued to refuse to release its officials accused of playing some part in the arms scam.

The EFCC disclosed this in a statement its spokesperson, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, made available to newsmen on Tuesday.

The statement by the EFCC was in reaction to a publication in a national daily where an un-named DSS official accused the Ibrahim Magu-led EFCC of trying to use the purported claim to humiliate the officials of the DSS.

He claimed that the EFCC wants to use that as a payback for the alleged role the DSS Director-General, Lawal Daura, played in ensuring that the Senate never confirmed EFCC acting chairman Magu as the substantive chairman of the anti-graft agency.

The DSS official was quoted to have said, “What are they (EFCC) trying to do, audit our operations or what? Did the service report any financial infraction to them and call for their intervention? It is just a case of overzealousness and lack of professionalism and we won’t allow that, because what you allow is what will continue.

“If they (EFCC) need any clarification on anything, they should come to our office. We can’t be humiliated by anybody. Never! If this is the fallout from the security report officially requested by the National Assembly, then we wish them luck.. We stand by our findings.”

But in its statement, the EFCC denied that the invitation was meant to witch-hunt the DSS. According to the commission, it was normal to invite the DSS officials over their alleged involvement in the $2 billion scam, just as it had invited officers of the Nigerian Army, the Nigerian Air Force and the Nigerian Navy.

EFCC said that the military never resisted making its officers invited for questioning available and had even arraigned the culpable, while the DSS has continued to refuse to release its officers for quizzing.

“It is important to state that it is not strange for the EFCC to invite (for questioning) officers of other law enforcement agencies alleged to be complicit in any case being investigated by the commission. But there are protocols in doing this; and part of that protocol is to write to the heads of such agencies, requesting that the officer(s) in question be released to be interviewed.

“In the course of investigating the arms procurement scandal in the Office of the former National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd.), the commission has had cause to request the release of officers of other security agencies, including the Nigerian Army, the Nigerian Air force, the Nigerian Navy and now the DSS, for questioning. All but the DSS have acceded to this request.

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“For the avoidance of doubt, the arms procurement investigation is national in outlook with alleged culprits cutting across the military, security establishments as well as the political class. It is not targeted at any institution.

“Consequently, the insinuation about a revenge-instigated investigation of the DSS by the EFCC over its role in the senate refusal to confirm Ibrahim Magu as substantive chairman of the EFCC, is not only specious, but pure mischief contrived for motives that are unclear.”

 

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