AGF and Minister of Justice Talks on $2.1bn Arms Scam

 

The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami, has added his voice to the ongoing $2.1bn Arms Scam as he awaits court sentencing on indicted persons.

 

Malami, spoke while receiving members of the Bring Back Our Girls movement in his office in Abuja. He however revealed on Tuesday what the government had stocked for the looters. He said his office would not tolerate any act of “compromise” in the form of plea bargain for suspects whose corrupt acts had heightened insurgency in the country.

 

While describing the alleged diversion of funds meant for procurement of arms under the previous administration of President Goodluck Jonathan as wicked and evil, he said no stone will be left unturned in bringing those involved to book.

 

Notable suspects in the ongoing trial of the alleged diversion of the $2.1bn arms procurement fund are the former National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd.); a former Sokoto State governor, Attahiru Bafarawa; a former Minister of State for Finance, Bashir Yuguda; and a former Chairman, Daar Communications Plc, Chief Raymond Dokpesi.

 

While Dokpesi had been released on bail, Dasuki and others are still in Kuje Prisons, Abuja, having failed so far to perfect their bail conditions.

 

The BBOG group, which is campaigning for the release of the over 200 schoolgirls abducted by members of the Boko Haram terrorist group in Chibok, Borno State, in April 2014, engaged the AGF on a number of issues, including wars against corruption and insurgency during the meeting on Tuesday.

 

Responding to the issue of plea bargain raised by the Convener of the BBOG group, Mrs. Oby Ezekwesili, the AGF said the Federal Government would not tolerate such policy under the current administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.

 

Malami said, “I cannot imagine someone being responsible for monumental deaths of our citizens and then going scot free, arising from plea bargain as a policy.

 

Malami described the abduction of the Chibok schoolgirls as “tormenting and psychologically traumatising” for the nation.

 

He said, “It is tragic for a nation to have a budget meant for arms procurement for the protection of lives and property of the citizens, and end up not having the arms but compromising the process of making adequate provisions for the protection of lives of its citizens.

 

He said the Federal Government had put in place a formidable team of public prosecutors to drive the government’s anti-corruption war at the various courts of the country. He reiterated Buhari’s commitment to bring to book all perpetrators of corrupt practices, who heightened the wanton killings of citizens by terrorists in the country.