Reps investigate arms probe panel

Invite memo from top officials, 241 firms

Abuja—The House of Representatives has mandated the Joint Committee on National Security and Intelligence and Public Procurement to investigate the Jon Ode-led Presidential Arms probe panel which was recently disbanded by the federal government.

The Joint Committee, chaired by both Aminu Sani Jaji of Committee on National Security and Intelligence and Oluwole Oke of the Committee on Public Procurement, which began investigations of the probe panel and arms procurements from January 2012 to May 2015, has called for submission of written memoranda and position papers from top government officials and 241 firms.

A member of the committee, who preferred anonymity, said other stakeholders and the general public with relevant information on the matter were requested to make submissions before holding public hearings.

Those officially invited to make submissions of memoranda include the Chairman and members of the Jon Ode Arms Probe Panel, National Security Adviser, NSA, Defence Minister, Finance Ministers, Interior Minister, Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, Accountant General of the Federation and Auditor General of the Federation.

Others are  Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Service Chiefs and Ex-Service Chiefs from 2010 to 2016, Director General, Department of State Service, DSS, Director General, National Intelligence Agency, NIA, and Acting Chairman of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.

Equally invited were the Director General, Bureau of Public Procurement, BPP,, Executive Chairman, Federal Inland Revenue Service, Director General of the Pension Commission, PENCOM, Director General, Industrial Training Fund and Managing Director, Social Insurance Trust Fund.

The arm probe panel was inaugurated in 2015 by the Presidency to investigate the procurement of hardware and ammunition in the Armed Forces from 2007 to 2015.

It was also to identify irregularities and make recommendations for streamlining the procurement process in the military.

The panel had submitted its first interim report in November 2015, while it presented the second report in January 2016, following which President Muhammadu Buhari ordered the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to investigate some serving and retired military officers, mainly from the Nigerian Air Force, NAF.

The President also directed investigations into the roles played by the officers as well as some companies and their directors in fundamental breaches associated with the procurements by the Office of the National Security Adviser and the Nigerian Air Force.

During their investigations, some members of the arm probe panel were accused of receiving bribes from individuals and companies that were being probed by Ode’s panel.

One of the members was later arrested and detained by Department State Service, DSS, for money-laundering and illegal possession of firearms.

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