The ongoing probe into the arms deal scam has started spending its tentacles to the domains of ex-military chiefs as ordered by Buhari with a panel of enquiry already constituted.
There are strong indications that the Defence Headquarters will this week set up a panel on its officers who are being investigated by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission over alleged fraudulent arms purchase.
SUNDAY PUNCH reliably gathered on Saturday that besides facing the EFCC’s investigations, the affected serving officers would face the military panel, which the Defence Headquarters might constitute this week.
President Muhammadu Buhari had on Friday ordered the EFCC to investigate 17 serving and retired military officers, including the past Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh (retd.); a former Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Dikko Umar (retd.) (2010 -2012) and the immediate past Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Adesola Amosu (retd.), in alleged fraudulent arms purchases between 2007 and 2015.
The 11 serving officers that will be investigated by the EFCC, who will also face the military panel, include Air Marshal A.M. Mamu (Chief of Administration, Nigeria Air Force); AVM Oguntoyinbo (former Director of Production, Defence Headquarters); AVM T. Omenyi (Managing Director, NAF Holdings); and AVM J.B. Adigun (former Chief of Accounts and Budget).
Others are AVM R. A. Ojuawo (Air Force Tactical Air Command, Markudi); AVM J.A. Kayode-Beckley (Director, Armament Research in Air Force Research and Development Centre); Air Cdre. A.O. Ogunjobi; Air Cdre G.M.D. Gwani; Air Cdre A.Y. Lassa; Col. N. Ashinze (Special Assistant to the former NSA, Dasukiwink and Air Cdr. S.O.Makinde.
An Air Vice Marshal is an equivalent of a Major-General in the Army, while an Air Commodore is on the same level with a Brigadier-General.
It will be recalled that Buhari had last year set up a committee to audit the purchase of defence equipment between 2007 and 2015.
The committee, in its report, said that it discovered that N643bn and $2.1bn were received for defence procurement between 2007 and 2015 by Defence Headquarters and the military services.
Based on the N197-to-the-dollar official exchange rate of the Central Bank of Nigeria, the sum of $2.1bn translates into a total of N413.7bn.
The $2.1bn (N413.7bn) when added to the N643bn, gives a total sum of N1.067tn that was received for defence procurements by the Defence Headquarters between 2007 and 2015.
It stated that N29bn and $2bn were expended on procurement by the Nigerian Air Force during the period.