Arms probe: Buhari doctored report to shield Dambazau, Buratai, says Junaid Mohammed

A frontline Second Republic politician and Northern leader, Dr. Junaid

Mohammed told The Guardian yesterday that some cabal in the Presidency

doctored the Arms Procurement Probe Report to shield the former Chief of

Army Staff and Minister of Interior, Major General Abdulrahman Dambazau

(rtd) and former Director of Procurements, Defence Headquarters, who is

also current Chief Of Army Staff, Major General Tukur Buratai.

Mohammed said: “Nigerians should recall that the three Chiefs of Army

Staff who served during the period under review included Major General

Abdulrahman Dambazau, who is also the current Minister of Interior, Major

General Azubuike Ihejirika, Major General Kenneth Minimah and Major

General Tukur Buratai, who before his appointment as the current Chief of

Army Staff, was Director of Procurement, Defence Headquarters for years.

“The Report of the Committee was doctored in the Presidency by some cabal

after it was submitted, to shield Dambazau and Buratai who were allegedly

indicted. “Dambazau is a close ally of Alhaji Mamman Daura, who is President

Buhari's nephew, and also head of the 'cabal' in Buhari's presidency

today. Buratai is an ally of Dambazau and President Buhari. So there is no

way the Presidency will not shield the duo.” Mohammed said that there was no way Buratai and Dambazau would not have

been indicted in the Report, having served as director of procurement in

the Defence Headquarters and Chief of Army Staff under the period

reviewed. “Why is Ihejirika under any form of detention now? Why is he being

harassed, when the Presidency is shielding some persons indicted in the

report? Is it because he is not President's ally or not from the North?

President Buhari should publish the original copy of the Report, the way

that of Nigerian Air Force mess was made public. “Nigerians should know that as far as the cabal holds sway in Aso Rock,

nothing will happen to Dambazua and Buratai,” Mohammed noted.A source in

the Presidency who craved anonymity told The Guardian that Dambazua was

not indicted in the Report, because during his era as Chief of Army Staff,

awarding of contracts and procurement of arms was being carried out by the

Ministry of Defence, not office of the Chief of Army Staff.

“It was after Dambazua left office that his successor took charge of

awarding of contracts and procurement in the service. So there is no iota

of truth in the allegation that the report was doctored to shield him.”

On why Mohammed is alleging that the report was doctored to shield

Dambazua, the source said: “You know that Mohammed and Dambazua are from

Kano State. It has something to do with politics of the State, and choice

of minister from the State. Some persons from the state preferred somebody

else, specifically President Buhari's longtime ally who got himself

involved corruption act, not Dambazau, to be minister. They are not

comfortable with his choice, but that was the President's decision.

However, the Federal Government yesterday said there is no truth in the

insinuation that the report of the Presidential Committee on the Audit of

Defence Equipment Procurement in the Armed Forces (2007-2015) was doctored

for whatever reasons. -The Guardian The post Arms probe: Buhari doctored report to shield Dambazau, Buratai, says Junaid Mohammed appeared first on Pointblank News .