Arms scandal: Ihejirika has nothing to fear, says lawyer

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A former Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Azubuike Ihejirika, is not afraid of the plan by the Federal Government to further probe him and other persons named in arms scandals that saw billions of dollars meant for the procurement of arms for the Nigerian military diverted to private pockets, one of his lawyers, Udebuchukwu Nnoruka (SAN), told Saturday PUNCH on Friday.

Ihejirika, and another ex-Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Kenneth Minimah, are among 54 persons to be investigated for their roles in the arms scandals.

Chairman of the Presidential Committee on the Audit of Defence Equipment Procurement in the Armed Forces, AVM Jon Ode (retd.), had said in a statement in Abuja on Thursday that President Muhammadu Buhari ordered the probe of 54 persons.

When contacted on Friday, Nnoruka said most of the allegations levelled against Ihejirika had been sufficiently explained during the hearing of the committee.

The lawyer said if there had been any evidence against Ihejirika, the committee would have meted out punishment against him or recommended him for prosecution.

When asked if the former COAS was afraid of investigation, Nnoruka said there was no basis for fear.

Nnoruka said, “Ihejirika just happened to be one of the many persons named in the report. It doesn’t mean that there has been any finding for which Ihejirika could suffer any penalty.

“What does a man have to gain by being afraid in this world and when you are a soldier for that matter? Fear doesn’t solve any problem, does it?

“I can tell you as someone who knows what is happening, that some of the allegations have been substantially and sufficiently explained by him and people who testified before that committee.

“So it has yet to be seen what the next committee that will do further investigation wants to come up with.

“But everything that is known about the investigation has not in any way exposed him (Ihejirika) to any opprobrium because if it had been, naturally, by now you won’t be talking about investigation, you will be talking of prosecution or some kind of penalty. What the President has said is that ‘go and look further into this matter.’”

The order for further investigation followed the approval of the recommendation of the committee charged with investigating the Defence Equipment Procurement from 2007 to 2015 for further investigation of those involved by President Buhari after the committee found a number of irregularities in the contract awards.

According to Ode, the approval followed the Third Interim Report of the Presidential Committee on the Audit of Defence Equipment, which was released on Thursday.

Among those to be investigated are 18 serving and retired military personnel, 12 serving and retired public officials and 24 Chief Executive Officers of companies involved in the procurement.

All were either accounting officers or played key roles in the Nigerian Army procurement activities during the period under review, Ode said.