Sambo Dasuki, former national security adviser, received an extra-budgetary allocation of $2.1 billion from the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) within nine months after approvals by former President Goodluck Jonathan, TheCable can report.
Dasuki is currently being investigated by the federal government over the billions of dollars released for the procurement of arms for counter-terrorism operations under Jonathan.
Documents seen by TheCable showed the breakdown of NNPC’s disbursements to the office of the NSA as follows: $1 billion on March 27, 2014; $200 million on April 9, 2014; $600 million on May 5, 2014; and, same day, $200 million following a request for $250 million.
The documents also showed that on January 12, 2015, he got $100 million, bringing the total amount his office received from the NNPC to $2.1 billion within the nine months.
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All these were outside the statutory budgetary allocations to security during the same period, in addition to another $1 billion loan secured by the Jonathan administration to fight Boko Haram.
President Muhammadu Buhari recently ordered the arrest of Dasuki for awarding “fictitious contracts” in excess of N300 billion while he was NSA.
It is believed that the arms and ammunition were either not purchased at all or that substandard ones were procured instead, reportedly leading to the death of many Nigerian soldiers in the hands of the better-equipped Boko Haram insurgents.
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There were various media reports, both local and foreign, quoting unnamed Nigerian soldiers complaining about inadequate arms as well as poor welfare in the counter-terrorism war.
Thousands of soldiers deserted the military and those who refused to fight were court-martialled and jailed or sentenced to death.
READ: IN GRAPHICS… TRUTHS, LIES AND THE NIGERIAN MILITARY
But Dasuki has denied any wrong doing, maintaining that there was no fraud involved in the procurement process and that the military succeeded in chasing the insurgents out of 22 local governments under his watch.
He also said all the contracts were awarded with the approval of Jonathan, but the former president swiftly denied giving such approvals.
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TheCable can report, however, that Jonathan approved all the disbursements by NNPC, with his senior special assistant on administrative matters, Matt Aikhionbere, writing the covering letters conveying presidential consent to the corporation after the president had minuted on Dasuki’s requests.
Jonathan further approved that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) should give Dasuki N40 billion following another extra-budgetary request.
This was after the removal of Sanusi Lamido Sanusi as the central bank governor in 2014.
Dasuki had written to the then acting governor, Sarah Alade, requesting for N60 billion, but she did not act on the request, reportedly because the president was not copied and there was no presidential approval.
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Following the appointment of Godwin Emefiele as governor in June 2014, Dasuki re-presented his request but Emefiele too did not act on it because of procedural concerns.
However, Dasuki sent another request, this time copying Jonathan, who — TheCable understands — now sat the two men together and instructed that the bank should give N40 billion to Dasuki and another N20 billion to the Department of State Services (DSS), although there was no prior request from the department.
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It is believed in security circles that the N20 billion went to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the former president’s party, apparently to finance the 2015 electioneering.
There was a slight twist in the story after the 2015 general election when a senator got wind of the N60 billion expenditure and tried to blackmail Emefiele, demanding N5 billion in order to keep it away from public scrutiny.
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Emefiele reportedly resisted the pressure from the senator, insisting that he acted based on a presidential order.
The senator is now a principal officer of the national assembly against the wishes of Buhari, who was made aware of the blackmail in May before he was sworn in as president.
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TheCable could not confirm if Emefiele eventually paid anything to the senator.
26 comments
Dear Simon Kolawole, Malik Abdulganiy and the team at TheCableNG, Thank you for this evolving story. I have some questions…
Who is this Senator? How did he got wind of the issue? Why did he ask for 5 billion naira? What are the implications?
Thank you
Douglas
Ask the CCT
I understand that Senator sneaked into the car park at night and became the head of a rogue NASS.
You are naturally free to turn your one plus one to eleven????
Why are you in a hurry. Did you ask dasuki and others were revealed? Just wait
Well,as we are only onlookers to the Drama,but! it really shows that,Nigeria is onthe verge to fighting corruption.Albeit,the delay in judgement. more grease to you elbow PMB!
Ignorance is no excuse. Where would they have gotten funds to amass weapons at short notice, when the world including the international community refused to sell arms to Nigeria. When the entire coalition that wanted The past administration out? How were they able to sustain that offensive for 6weeks when the election Was cancelled?
Every good deed dasuki deed will be rubished. Because he brought Boko Haram under control.
Now instead of the new government to continue on the few blocks made, they uprooted and are still uprooting , removed checkpoints, sacked personnel and what is the result, mayhem, bombing in abuja, bombings in kano, adamawa, bornu almost everyday. The country is burning and people are clapping claiming they are fighting corruption.
Dasuki was the officer that arrested Buhari for IBB in the 80s. He must be punished. Even if Buhari had forgiven him, Buharis men would not forget.
A slide into anarchy is in sight. Pray for the president to wake up, from this preconceived notion he has, and face the realities of the day.
Your comment..Hear the Litany from an accomplice and co-looters of our Commonwealth.All will rot in jail to eternity.Your days of sorrow just began.
You dont set fire to your house, because you are looking for a rat. Corruption is not the issue to tackle and foregt the unemployment, rising insecurity, and naira depreciation, lower exports etc Let APC show me they have a blueprint, and start workin. Throwing people in jail is not going to make the country work.
At Concerned Nigerian, corruption is a major cause of unemployment.The youths being used as tools in bringing about ‘rising insecurity’ which you mentioned,are mostly unemployed.And they will remained unemployed for as long as looters are allowed to keep their loot.There is no doubting the fact that corruption is the number one problem in Nigeria
Your comment..really yr intellegent quocient is working
Corruption stall the growth and development of a nation and curbing it is a pathway to economic, social and political emancipation of a nation. A case study is that of Singapore
It is not matter of revenge rather it is a national interest…..why supporting crime my brother
If you read from third world to first world,by lee kuan yew of Singapore,he did not start changing his country by fighting this so called corruption, he did so by first improving the economy. Having an inclusive plan, and getting experts to freely work.
I am going back to the economy and I am not defending corruption. I am simply pointing out that the president should focus on important things. If billions was spent in fighting boko haram, through defence contracts, that by law does not pass through due process, do you arrest the players or check the effectiveness of what and how the money was expended?
Let them be charged to court, and then you will see why it’s all kangaroo. No matter how much a judge is intimidated, the truth must come out. I deviate.
Thanks, Concerned Nigerian. Its gladdening to know that there are people who still reason like you do. People just do not understand what is involved in prosecuting a war the kind of which we are currently engaged in. If they understand the deals and the intrigues that attend things of this nature, they wont be doing this Atilogwu dance they are doing. Let them find out what the Iran-Contra Affair was all about or ask the US government whether the millions of dollars they gave to that crack counter-insurgency team that oversaw the routing of the Taliban in Afghanistan came from normal everyday American budget. Here in Nigeria everything must come down to corruption. Do these here even know what goes on behind the scenes in matters relating to National Security? President Buhari understands these things but the pull of revenge is too strong for him to resist.
Buhari was an army general and former head of state. Do you know that there are thousands of his loyalist in the country? So every thing might have been revealed to him. Do you that dasuki wants to be sultan by any means? If you dont know ask people from his area.
This man did not know what he is saying.Dasuki has no fault in what he did by arresting Buhari because in the military you obey the last order of which Buhari knows.So,currupted Dasuki and his murderer team must face the law.
Corruption IS an issue. The country is the way it is because of corruption and impunity. Looters of our collective commonwealth will like us to forget the issue. But that would not work. All looters MUST be punished.
Thank you TheCable for this highly exclusive report. I want to let you know that since Obasanjo period NNPC had always been used for all sorts of illicit fundings in the name of security. The records are there in NNPC. Investigate this allegation and Nigerians would be shocked by what NNPC is used for. You would agree with El-Rufai that NNPC on its present structure must be ‘destroyed’ for Nigeria to survive.
The other disturbing revelation is the way govt officials implement ‘illegal’ directives. Do you think the Chairman of Federal Reserve will release tax payers money like that in U.S even if it were possible for the U.S President to give such instructions? We need to insulate institutions from political interference. If we succeeded, most problems in Nigeria will disappear like magic.
Your comment..of course, corruption is the issue. no wonder everyone wants to work with the government!
Your comment..Any right-minded as well as well-wishing nigerian will appreciate profoundly the unprecedented struggle with the evils, viz, bh & embezzlement,this capable and honest administration is diligently pursuing in stark contrast to the destructive administration of Jonathan :i pray for the complete success of Nigeria in everything worthy and down with enemies of progress.
I refuse to be part of the mob hysteria. I want to see Dasuki in court to give his side of the story. Fighting corruption should be done with the rule of law.
If Nigeria is good, I will not be excluded. Justice should be done and must be seen to be done.
Your comment my comment gos to femi fami kayode is like he has hand in this scandal. If not why is he always trying to prove his party members on what he is quite sure they did it pleas a question who did he like among to is it our mother Nigeria to get recover or his follow party members. To sambo remember even if you convinced the whole world you cannot convinced yourself so I advise you to said the truth. To the judiciary remember you are the voice of your mother Nigeria so don’t terminate your mother because of anything why is better what ever that thing is because she is the one that take of you to this level that you are now hero not zero anymore while they don’t know you when you were zero.To BUHARI don’t stop continue but please do justice to all
Your comment..fami fani kayode I predict the way he react so it may be among arms scandal deal .we thank to Allah he save us in the hand of those wickets.let the former NSA reveal d name and d rest that hv hand in this deedly act.the hv no Marcy to masses.d only know there self .d don’t knew how we are surviving .with that BK.are killing us destroying our houses.no where to sleep but d don’t care about that.GMB.go ahead and deal with criminals.may Allah protect and guide u
buhari must get back all this fund through due process now and at the end of his administration he should return the country to federalism system of govt so dat each region will be able to develop at their own pace and compete for growth as it happen in the second republic.so any regional leader(s) that loot
public fund and fail his people will be stoned to death by his people.that is the only solution to our multi-problem in 9ja.period
@Concerned Nigerian According to you it is ok for the NSA to become an auxiliary CBN/Budget?Constitution and dish out funds at will without any form of checks and balances abi? May God save us from “citizens” and “patriots” like you. You and your fellow travellers are the real enemy of progress of this country.
Your comment… I see no basis of a so-called democratically elected president WILL IN WHATEVER GUISE ‘ORDER’ 4 D ARREST OF ANYONE & NIGERIANS R applaudin him? i dont get it. if u hv a case against som1 y subject d person 2 dis psychological torture? d govt claims 2 hv so much evidence 2 nail col Dasuki, y not sue him to court n der, he’ll defend himself. our laws say dat DASUKI IS INNOCENT UNTIL PROVEN OTHERWISE. I SUSPECT DIS D REASON NIGERIANS HATED DR JONATHAN COS HE REFUSED FIGHTIN CORRUPTION BY CROOK OR HOOK MEANS WHIC DIS OLD-SCHOOL MILITARY MAN IS DOIN. DIS D SAME WAY OBASANJO FOUGHT D CORRUPTION WAR OF PRONOUNCING PEOPLE GUILTY B4 GOIN 2 COURT. SHAME ON MILITARY DICTATORS & THEIR SUPPORTERS