Abuja One of the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) chiefs implicated in the $2.1
billion arms deal and put under house arrest at Niger Barracks, Abuja
has returned N66 million of the N90 million, allegedly traced to him, to
the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). Consequently, the
officer, a Principal Staff Officer at NAF Headquarters, was released
from detention and asked to go and look for the balance of the money. An
EFCC source, however, said this did not mean he is completely
exonerated.
Sunday Vanguard gathered that the other officers
being detained by the NAF High Command, on behalf of the EFCC, were not
allowed the privileged because they had refused to cooperate fully with
the EFCC interrogation team even though some had returned exotic cars
and other valuables.
It was also gathered that an Air Commodore,
said to have benefitted from the arms deal and has properties in Dubai,
Kaduna and Abuja, has been arrested and is in detention. One of the
detained Air Vice Marshals (AVMs) is said to be the leader of the team
that went to buy aircraft with incomplete parts and also inflated the
price from $6million to over $30million. NAF High Command had, on
Thursday, stepped up its anti-corruption war with the removal of some
officers including Air Officers Commanding and Principal Staff officers
manipulated in the arms deal and appointed new Air Officers Commanding.
Meanwhile,
the wife of a former Chief of the Air Staff, Mrs. Lara Amosu, detained
overnight by the EFCC, has been freed. Sunday Vanguard gathered that the
wife was detained following certain accounts related to her husband,
being investigated in connection with the $2.1 billion arms cash,
allegedly traced to her. Although the exact figure and details of the
accounts were not made public, EFCC was said to have interrogated her
for hours last week in Lagos. But a source close to the investigation
confirmed the woman had been released on bail.
“She is not in
our custody having been granted administrative bail. She will be asked
to report back whenever we need her for further investigation,” the
source said. The source said the money allegedly recovered from the
former air chief’s house in Lagos had been kept as exhibit to be used
when the trial of suspects in the arms deal begins. The source further
alleged that some properties belonging to the former CAS were also held
in trust for him by Lara and her children. There were earlier reports
that the anti-graft agency had uncovererd N17.5 billion in the accounts
of wives of three airforce chiefs.
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