The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has arrested a serving senior officer of the Nigerian Air Force in connection with the $2.1bn arms purchase scandal the PUNCH reported. According to the PUNCH, It was learnt that the officer, Air Vice Marshal R.A. Ojuawo, was arrested by operatives of the EFCC at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, on his way out of the country. A top source, who spoke to the punch confirmed that Ojuawo was arrested while accompanying the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Gabriel Olonisakin, to a meeting of the United States Africa Command in Germany on Sunday.
According to Wikipedia, the United States Africa Command, otherwise known as AFRICOM, is one of the nine unified combatant commands of the US Armed Forces, headquartered at Kelley Barracks, Stuttgart, Germany.
It is responsible for the US military operations and military relations with 53 African nations. Its area of responsibility covers all of Africa except Egypt, which is within the area of responsibility of the US Central Command.
The source, who confided in our correspondent, said, “The event, which they were going to attend, was about the activities of the military in the fight against insurgency. AVM Ojuawo was the one that was supposed to deliver the keynote address on behalf of the Nigerian Air Force.
“However, a team of EFCC detectives stormed the airport and refused to allow him travel. All the senior military officers present pleaded with the detectives but they refused to listen. We explained to them that we had invested a lot of time and energy in putting together the report that Ojuawo was supposed to present.
“The Air Force had done feasibility studies on how to rehabilitate Internally Displaced Persons and was going to present the report in Germany.
“We promised them that immediately we were done with the event, Ojuawo would return and visit the EFCC but the detectives said he was a flight risk. How could he flee when he was in the entourage of the CDS?”
It was learnt that Ojuawo had been invited by the commission a few weeks ago and had even visied the Idiagbon House headquarters of the anti-graft agency, where he was interrogated alongside the immediate past CDS, Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh (retd.), and was allowed to go.
According to a source in the NAF, Ojuawo was the Director of Operations when Badeh was the Chief of Air Staff.
(Culled Via Punch)
According to a source in the NAF, Ojuawo was the Director of Operations when Badeh was the Chief of Air Staff.
(Culled Via Punch)
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