I Did Not Implicate Anyone – Dasuki

I Did Not Implicate Anyone – Dasuki
Ejike Ejike, Kunle Olasanmi
— Dec 4, 2015 4:01 am | Leave a comment
Former national security adviser (NSA), Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd), has denied ever making any statement implicating anyone or group in the allegation of $2.1billion arms purchase deal brought against him by the federal government.
Dasuki, who is still in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), was said to have made the statement to the anti-graft agency and allegedly named some former governors of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and chieftains of the party, among others, as accomplices in the alleged deal.
Dasuki, who spoke through his lawyer, Mr. Ahmed Raji (SAN), yesterday, said he never made such statement or named anyone to the EFCC and wondered where the authors of the report got their information from.
“I was with Dasuki yesterday (Wednesday) when the purported statement was made. I wish to make a categorical statement that my client never made any statement of such nature or named anybody or group in any statement.
“Quote me anywhere, Dasuki has not done anything like that. It is absolutely untrue. It is the figment of the imagination of the author aimed at creating falsehood for reasons best known to them and Nigerians should disregard them.
“They are just out to scandalise the man, bring his image and character into disrepute so that his friends and well-wishers will run away from him. They want him deserted and that will fail”, Raji said.
During yesterday’s proceedings in court, the federal government appointed a private legal practitioner, Mr. Oladipupo Okpeseyitan (SAN), to prosecute Dasuki.
Okpeseyitan, after announcing his appearance, told the trial judge, Justice Adeniyi Ademola that he had filed a motion for stay of execution of the ruling of the court which granted Dasuki permission to travel abroad for medical treatment.
He applied to the court to put the ruling on hold pending the outcome of the appeal in the matter.
Raji, in his reply, told the court that he had just been served with the motion in court, adding that he needed time to respond to the motion.
The case has been fixed for December 8, 2015 for hearing.

Arms Deal: I Got No Money From Dasuki — Bafarawa
Alhaji Attahiru Bafarawa
Alhaji Attahiru Bafarawa
More facts have started emerging in the ongoing investigation into the $2.1billion arms deal involving the former national security adviser (NSA), Col. Sambo Dasuki, as the former governor of Sokoto State, Alhaji Attahiru Bafarawa, has said that he did not receive any money from the embattled former security chief.
A statement issued in Abuja yesterday by one of his aides, a former special adviser on Youths and Students’ Matters during his tenure as governor of Sokoto State, Alhaji Akibu Dalhatu, maintained that he had no deal with the former NSA and did not collect any money from him for any purpose.
He said, “The former governor of Sokoto State, Alhaji Attahiru Bafarawa, did not receive any money from Col. Sambo Dasuki for any arms deal or for any purpose”.
He lamented what he called deliberate media campaign aimed at tarnishing the image of the former governor.
He said, “We have seen deliberate falsehoods published in the newspapers and social media platforms, designed deliberately to tarnish the image and person of Alhaji Attahiru Bafarawa. Some of the writers and media outfits have access to Governor Bafarawa and his media advisers. It would appear that the media is being used to play out a script that has been written long before now”.

N600m Arms Scam: EFCC Arrests Ex- presidential Committee Chairman, AVM Atawodi
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has arrested Air Vice Marshal Salihu Atawodi (rtd), former chairman, presidential implementation committee on marine safety over what a source at the Commission described as a case of conspiracy, abuse of office and misappropriation of public funds.
According to the source, Atawodi allegedly abused his position as chairman of presidential implementation committee on marine safety to defraud the Nigerian government to the tune of over N600m through dubious contracts to procure military boats.
“He awarded the contract to one Alhaji Rabiu’s Hypertech Nigeria Limited. The contractor was fully paid but the boats were never supplied. The contract award process violated the Procurement Act.”
The source also noted that AVM Atawodi, who has been on the radar of the anti-graft agency since 2013, was quizzed for several hours on Wednesday, December 2015, after he responded to the invitation extended to him. He arrived the headquarters of the Commission at about 11am.
When EFCC spokesman, Wilson Uwujaren, was contacted, he confirmed Atawodi’s presence at the Commission, adding that he is assisting the investigation.

EFCC Fails To Release Dokpesi
High Chief Raymond Dokpesi
High Chief Raymond Dokpesi
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, yesterday, failed to release the Chairman of Daar Communications Plc, High Chief Raymond Dokpesi, after meeting his bail conditions, LEADERSHIP Friday has learnt.
One of the conditions was for the media mogul to surrender his travel documents to the EFCC and produce two directors in the Federal Civil Service as sureties, a condition he met earlier today, according to his lawyers.
According to his lawyer, senior advocate of Nigeria, Mike Ozekhome, they were shocked to be told that the agency had secured a holding warrant from a magistrate court to keep his client in detention after perfecting his bail conditions.
“We got the two sureties today (yesterday) and we were ready to meet all the bail conditions before the EFCC told us they were able to get a holding charge warrant from a magistrate.”
Recall that Dokpesi was arrested in connection to the outcome of a presidential investigations committee on arms procurement during the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan.
Meanwhile, the EFCC has arraigned a former Director General of Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, Patrick Ziadeke Akpobolokemi and seven other staff of the agency including Captain Eziekiel Agaba, Executive Director and their two companies before Justice Salihu Sa’idu of the Federal High Court Lagos, on a 30-count charge bordering on conspiracy, fraudulent conversion of funds and money laundering.
Others are Ekene Nwakuche, Felix Bob-Nabena, Captain Warredi Enisuoh, Governor Amechee Juan, Ugo Frederick, Timi Alari, Alkenzo Limited and Penniel Engineering Services Limited.
The accused persons allegedly conspired to convert and launder several sums of money running into billions of naira under the guise of providing security intelligence around the Maritime domain.