$43 million cash discovered by EFCC meant for purchase of arms

As controversy over the $43 million discovered by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in an apartment in Ikoyi, Lagos continues, Nigerian Times investigation has revealed that the money actually belongs to the National Intelligence Agency (NIA).

The money, Nigerian Times checks with top intelligence sources reveal, was warehoused at the NIA safe house for the purpose of purchasing weapons for the Nigerian military through back channels after the American government had blocked official avenues for weapons purchase by the Nigerian government under former president Goodluck Jonathan. It was also meant to be used in carrying out other clandestine operations on behalf of the Nigerian government.

The origin of the discovered millions dates back to 2013 when former President Goodluck Jonathan visited Israel. The official story put out at the time was that Jonathan, who went to the Middle East state with a sizable number of aides, was on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem.

The reality however, was that he went to seek the help of the Israeli government in the procurement of weapons. At the time the Jonathan administration was finding it difficult to procure weapons in the open market as the Americans, citing human rights abuses, had blocked every avenue open to the Nigerian government to acquire weapons to fight off the insurgency in the north east of the country.

The American government had turned on the squeeze after the Baga massacre of early 2013 where hundreds of civilians had been killed and some human rights groups had accused the Nigerian military of being responsible for the killings.

In that 2013 trip to Israel, Jonathan had met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netayanhu who advised him to source weapons in the “black market”. It was pursuant to this advice that the Nigerian government sought to purchase weapons through back channels in South Africa in late 2014,with Jewish middle men, which backfired after the South African government seized the sum of $15 million found in a plane in South Africa.

A source in the intelligence community told this paper that the Jonathan administration had informed President Zuma of its intention but the matter had run into a hitch after the United States Government had tipped off the South African intelligence agency, which had been kept in the dark by the Zuma and the Nigerian government.
After this fiasco and the poor handling of the matter by the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) then headed by Col Sambo Dasuki (rtd), the decision was taken to transfer funds for the purchase of weapons and other related operations to the National Intelligence Agency. Our source further disclosed that it was from this pool of funds that the mercenaries hired by the Jonathan administration to fight the Boko Haram, were paid.

The source disclosed that from that point on, such back channel purchase of weapons were usually handled by officials of the NIA, the Military High Command and military attaches of the country from which the weapons were being procured. The process often involves the use of middlemen who are mostly Israelis because they dominate the backroom world of weapons sale and purchase.

This paper confirmed that some of the weapons displayed by Col. Dasuki in August 2015 as purchased by the Jonathan administration were acquired from Ukraine using part of the funds discovered in the Ikoyi apartment. Another decision that was taken was that Nigeria was not going to take a dime abroad, but would invite the sellers to Nigeria to receive payment was negotiations were concluded.

“As matter of fact, the weapons the Buhari government bought from Pakistan not too long ago, were purchased from this same money and the Pakistanis were in Lagos to receive the money,” our source said.

The source said the Buhari administration was well aware of this matter it having been fully documented in the handover notes presented to it by the Jonathan administration in May 2015. The source noted that as a matter of fact, in late 2016, the Buhari administration through National Security Adviser (NSA), Gen. Monguno(rtd) and Nigeria’s military attaché in Amman, Jordan negotiated the purchase of weapons from that country.

“There is nothing hidden about this matter as far as officials in the Buhari government is concerned. Those with need to know were duly informed and cannot claim to be in the dark. The money belongs to the federal Government and it was placed in the custody of the NIA to carry out certain operations. It is not stolen money neither is it money from proceeds of corruptions as some people want us to believe, “our source said. “That also explains why it was the DG DSS who contacted Mr Nduka Obaigbena to help the government manage the crisis”

Nigerian Times checks indicate that the tardy manner the matter is being handled stems from the turf wars going on among senior officials in the security apparatus of the Buhari administration. Unlike in previous governments where the NSA coordinated matters relating to national security and subordinated other security agency heads to his authority, in the Buhari administration, the Director General of the State Security Agencies (DSS), Lawal Daura, because of his closeness and familial links to President Buhari, looms larger than the NSA, who is supposed to be his senior, and other officials in the intelligence community.