One of the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) chiefs
implicated in the $2.1 billion arms deal and put
under house arrest at Niger Barracks, Abuja
has returned N66 million of the N90 million,
allegedly traced to him, to the Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). Consequently, the officer, a Principal Staff
Officer at NAF Headquarters, was released from
detention and asked to go and look for the
balance of the money. An EFCC source,
however, said this did not mean he is
completely exonerated. Sunday Vanguard gathered that the other
officers being detained by the NAF High
Command, on behalf of the EFCC, were not
allowed the privileged because they had
refused to cooperate fully with the EFCC
interrogation team even though some had returned exotic cars and other valuables.
It was also gathered that an Air Commodore,
said to have benefitted from the arms deal and
has properties in Dubai, Kaduna and Abuja,
has been arrested and is in detention. One of the detained Air Vice Marshals (AVMs) is
said to be the leader of the team that went to
buy aircraft with incomplete parts and also
inflated the price from $6million to over
$30million. NAF High Command had, on Thursday, stepped
up its anti-corruption war with the removal of
some officers including Air Officers
Commanding and Principal Staff officers
manipulated in the arms deal and appointed
new Air Officers Commanding.
Meanwhile, the wife of a former Chief of the Air
Staff, Mrs. Lara Amosu, detained overnight by
the EFCC, has been freed. Sunday Vanguard gathered that the wife was
detained following certain accounts related to
her husband, being investigated in connection
with the $2.1 billion arms cash, allegedly traced
to her. Although the exact figure and details of the
accounts were not made public, EFCC was said
to have interrogated her for hours last week in
Lagos.
But a source close to the investigation
confirmed the woman had been released on
bail. “She is not in our custody having been granted
administrative bail. She will be asked to report
back whenever we need her for further
investigation,” the source said. The source said the money allegedly recovered
from the former air chief’s house in Lagos had
been kept as exhibit to be used when the trial
of suspects in the arms deal begins.
The source further alleged that some
properties belonging to the former CAS were
also held in trust for him by Lara and her
children. There were earlier reports that the anti-graft
agency had uncovered N17.5 billion in the
accounts of wives of three airforce chiefs.
Source: VanguardThank's for reading my article
See How Much Ex-Airforce Chief Who Was Under House Arrest ReturnedCreated at 2016-02-14
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