Panel ‘recovers’ N7bn from ONSA contractors

A committee set up to probe contracts awarded by the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) from 2011 to 2015 has recovered over N7bn from indicted companies and individuals, a statement from presidency said on Thursday.

The statement, signed by Shehu Garba (pictured), senior special assistant to the president on media and publicity, said more than 300 companies and prominent citizens, including serving and retired officers of the armed forces, were indicted.

Another N41 billion is to be refunded by the indicted companies, he said, while further investigation by the EFCC has been ordered to determine whether another N75 billion should be recovered from some of the companies for unexecuted or partially executed contracts.

He said: “The committee further established that one of the indicted companies, Societe D’Equipment International was overpaid to the tune of 7.9 Million Euros and $7.09 Million.

“The committee which is different from the committee that is investigating the Defence Arms and Equipment Procurement, discovered that there was a total disregard of salient provisions of the Public Procurement Act in the award of contracts by ONSA.

“Several contractors were apparently over paid, while others were given full upfront payments contrary to their contract terms and agreements in force.

“There was also evidence of payments to individuals and companies by ONSA without any contractual agreement or evidence of jobs executed. The committee further discovered that some companies failed to meet up their tax obligations for contracts executed.

“The Committee has made attempts and succeeded in recovering some of the funds from these individuals and organizations amounting to Three Billion, Five Hundred and Thirty Seven Million, Five Hundred and forty Nine Thousand, Two Hundred and Twenty Three Naira and Four Kobo (N3,537,549,223.04), Eight Million US Dollars ($8,000,000.00) and houses worth Five Hundred and Twelve Million Naira (512,000,000.00) from 32 companies.

“The Committee also established that some individuals and companies received monies without evidence of contractual agreements or jobs done. The amount received by these individuals was Seven Billion One Hundred and Four Million, Nine Hundred and Twenty Five Thousand Naira only (N7,104,925,000.00).

“In a similar vein, the Committee revealed that some companies that failed to execute contracts or did so partially were to make refunds. The total amount to be refunded is Nineteen Billion, Eight Hundred and Ninety Six Million, five Hundred and Thirty Nine Thousand, One Hundred and Twenty-five Naira and thirty kobo (N19,896,539,125.20) only, Forty Three Million Seven Hundred and Seventy One Thousand, Four Hundred and Thirty Three US Dollars and Seventy-Three Cents ($43,771,433.73) and 2 houses in Abuja worth Two Hundred and Sixty Million Naira (N260,000,000.00).

“The Committee also revealed that 15 companies were awarded contracts that require further investigation to ascertain the status of their contracts. The total value of the contracts awarded in this category was Eleven Billion Seven Hundred and Twenty Six Million Five Hundred and Seventy One Naira only (N11,726,571,161.00), Two Hundred and Two Million, One Hundred and Twenty Six Thousand, Eight Hundred and Ninety US Dollars only ($202,136,890.00) and Four Million, One Hundred and Fourteen Thousand Seven Hundred and Fifty Two Euros and Ninety Six Cents (€4,114,752.96).”

He listed individuals and companies that received payments without contractual agreements as:

• Honourable Bello Matawalle
• Brigadier General AS Mormoni-Bashir (the former Principal General Staff Officer at the ONSA and still a serving military officer)
• Alhaji Umar Sani
• Dr Yakubu Sanky
• Baba Bala
• Ambassador Clement Layiwola Lasseinde (a Director in the ONSA)
• An architect from Baitil Atiq Travels and Tours
• Alhaji Shuaibu Salisu (The former Director of Finance and Administration at the ONSA)
• Colonel Bello Fadile (rtd) (Special Adviser to Lt Col Sambo Dasuki; former NSA)
• Mr Otunla Jonah Niyi
• Otunba Adelakun
• Alhaji Bashir Yaguda
• Dr Tunji Olagunju
• Miss Oluwatoyin Oluwagbayi
• Lt Col MS Dasuki (rtd) (The former NSA)
• Honourable Maipata Mohammed Abubakar.
• Mohammed Suleiman from Musaco Investment and Properties
• Ibrahim Abdullahi also from Musaco Investment and Properties
• Alhaji Aliyu Usman.
• 18 other officers that served in the ONSA.

He said companies that failed to execute contracts or did so partially have been asked to refund various sums.

Some companies are to be further  investigated.