$9.3m Arm Deal: Northern Muslims says FG is a Liar

The apex body of Muslims in the North, the
Jama’atu Nasril Islam, on Monday in Kaduna
asked the nation’s anti-graft body, the
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, to
probe the controversial $9.3m impounded by
the South African authorities.
The said $9.3m was smuggled into
Johannesburg, South Africa, by two Nigerians
and an Israeli in a private jet the President of
the Christian Association of Nigeria, Pastor Ayo
Oritsejafor, has a stake in.
The money was said to be meant for the
procurement of arms for intelligence agencies
in Nigeria.
The money, valued about R102m, was frozen
by the South African authorities. Ever since,
controversies had continued to trail the
smuggled money, with fingers allegedly
pointing at the CAN president.
But the JNI, in a statement by its Secretary-
General, Dr. Khalid Aliyu-Abubakar, queried
the circumstances surrounding the $9.3m
allegedly meant for the procurement of arms
for the government, asking relevant bodies to
probe the deal.
The religious body noted that it was
imperative for the government or its agents to
clear the air on the smuggled money, rather
than allowing unguarded utterances to take
pre-eminence in the ongoing controversies
surrounding the deal.
JNI said, “Our senators at the upper chamber
and representatives members at the lower
chamber must rise to the occasion for special
discussion on the matter as urgent public
interest revolves round it, as it relates to
threat to national security.
“EFCC must wholly play its role in this direction
by prosecuting those involved to adequately
face the wrath of the law. It doesn’t matter
whose ox is gored.
“All relevant government agencies must also
discharge their responsibilities without fear or
favour, showing the world that our country is
serious.
“For its internal and external integrity,
government must stay off dabbling into issues
which the Nigerian Law had properly
addressed. We have been saying that certain
elements are now fond of breaking the law
with impunity, feeling super and above the
law.”
The body noted further that it smell the rat in
the way and manner in which the Federal
Government attempted to cover-up the entire
failed deal, adding that there was more to the
explanation given by the government on the
matter.
They queried, “The following posers are
instructive: Is government short of official
agents which necessitates assigning non official
ones? Why was any of the planes in the
Presidential fleet of jets not used?
“With the current trend of cashless financial
transaction why is such a huge amount carried
in cash? Isn’t arms deals executed via third
party?
“Where is the Ministry of Defense and the
office of the National Security Adviser? Was
due process followed through relevant
government agencies? Are bilateral matters
dealt with in that way?”
The JNI while appealing that justice be done
by all concerned in order to serve as a
deterrent to those who feel they are above
the law, insisted that the government should
release the real fact on the issue
The body added, “We at the Jama’atu Nasril
Islam (JNI) are in disbelief over the recent
news at both national and international media
of impounding of a private jet in South Africa,
laden with $9.3m in cash, purportedly to buy
arms in that country.
“What is more shocking is the said
government’s full knowledge of it, despite its
illegality and the attempt to intervene in such
a scandalous matter which attracts the full
weight of the law to address. There is more to
the explanation given by the government on
the matter.
“Therefore government should tell Nigerians
the real fact on the issue. We hope the matter
will not be wheedled with. However, we note
with dismay the unguarded utterances of some
leaders that they will call on their followers to
defend themselves.