From Molly Kilete, Abuja
The National Security Adviser (NSA), Babagana Monguno, has raised the alarm that monies running into billions of naira meant for the purchase of arms and ammunition for the armed forces cannot be accounted for under the immediate past service chiefs.
Mungono also said that neither the money nor the arms were on ground when the new service chiefs assumed office.
The NSA, who said he was not accusing the former service chiefs, however maintained that nobody has the information about the whereabouts of the huge amount of money.
Mungono, made the revelation in an interview on BBC Hausa Service in Friday.
The NSA revelation is coming over one month after President Muhammadu Buhari replaced the former service General Gabriel Olonishakin, chief of defence staff(CDS), Chief of Army Staff(COAS), Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai, Chief of Air the Staff(CAS), Abubakar Sadique and the Chief of Naval Staff(CNS), Ibok -Ette Ibas, on January 26. The former service chiefs were later given ambassadorial appointments by the president and had since been cleared by the senate despite the petitions against them.
However, the NSA in the interview, said “Now that he (President Buhari) has brought new people (service chiefs), hopefully they will devise some ways… I’m not saying the former service chiefs diverted the money, but the money is missing. We don’t know how, and nobody knows for now,”.
Continuing, he said “The president will surely probe this matter. As we speak, the Nigerian Governors’ Forum too is also wondering where all the money went. I can assure you the president takes issues of this nature seriously.
“The fact is that preliminary investigation showed the funds are missing and the equipment is nowhere to be found.
“When the new service chiefs assumed office, they also said they did see anything on ground,”.
Efforts to reach the former service chiefs for their comments proved abortive as most of their telephone numbers were not connecting at the time of filing this report.