Nigeria Orders Arrest of Top Officials in Arms Purchase Scandal

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered the arrest of former national security adviser (NSA), Sambo Dasuki, and other officials, after they were involved in arms purchase scandal.

The officially were charged in $5.5 billion arms deal for their illegal financial transactions.

The president ordered Dasuki's arrest after receiving the report of a 13-man committee set up by the Office of the National Security Adviser to audit the procurement of arms and equipment in the Armed Forces and Defence sector from 2007 to date.

While the committee inaugurated on August 31, 2015, is yet to complete its work, its interim report had unearthed several illicit and fraudulent financial transactions.

The report indicted Dasuki as being complicit in illegal financial transactions. Consequently, President Buhari ordered the arrest of the former security chief and all individuals found complicit in the fraudulent acts.

A statement issued by his special adviser on media, Femi Adesina, noted that, as part of the findings, the committee had analysed interventions from some organisations that provided funds to the Office of the National Security Adviser, Defence Headquarters, Army Headquarters, Naval Headquarters, and Nigerian Air Force Headquarters, both in local and foreign currencies.