Nigeria’s
Chief of Army Staff (COAS), General Tukur Buratai, and his two wives are joint
owners of a Dubai property that was paid for in one transaction. Investigations
by SaharaReporters indicated that the money for the purchase of the property
may have come from a vehicle contract scam while Mr. Buratai was the Director
of Procurement at the Army HQ. Our correspondents discovered that the Nigerian
Army had awarded an apparently bogus contract for the supply of vehicles and
motorcycles for the use of troops involved in an anti-terrorism offensive in
Nigeria’s beleaguered northeastern zone.
The allegation that General Buratai might have
pilfered funds meant for the purchase of military vehicles has sparked outrage
among soldiers and officers, especially those from the northeast part of the
country. Two military sources disclosed that irate officers had petitioned
President Muhammadu Buhari, urging him to order an investigation into the
contract scam.
In the
petition, exclusively obtained by SaharaReporters, the aggrieved soldiers and
officers, under the umbrella of Concerned Soldiers and Officers From the North
East, accused the COAS of executing the contract through a proxy of his.
According to the petitioners, the proxy's name is Usman Gamawa, founder of Baggash
Investment Limited.
The petition
stated that, rather than supply new vehicles as the contract demanded, Mr.
Baggash purchased second-hand vehicles and motorcycles from Niger Republic. On
arrival in Nigeria, the vehicles were then refurbished at Mogadishu Cantonment
under the supervision of Staff Sergeant Dadan Garba. SaharaReporters learned
that some of the vehicles and motorcycles had since broken down.
“If President Buhari can give service chiefs enough money to buy equipment, why
are they buying old ones?” asked the petitioners, who added that General
Buratai was exposing troops to grave danger and undermining the war against
Boko Haram terrorists.
The
disaffected soldiers and officers alleged that the property the COAS and his
wives acquired in Dubai was bought from a company, SIGMA 111 Limited. They
attached a document showing the purchase agreement. According to the document,
General Buratai and his wives had, on January 13, 2013, reached an agreement
with the seller for the purchase of the property, Project TFG Marina Hotel,
Unit 2711. The asking price was AED 1,542,000.00 (or $419,826.06 or N120m).
They alleged that General Buratai paid a total sum of AED 1,498, 534.00
(N115.6m) because the sellers gave concessions of AED 43,466, made up of “incentives,
promotions, and early payment bonus.”
The agreement indicating full payment for the house and the handing over
of ownership to the Buratais was signed on January 13, 2014. The document
identified the COAS as “Mr. Tukur Yusuf Buratai, holder of passport No.
A04250623.” The general’s wives were identified as Mrs. Aishatu Tukur Buratai,
holder of passport No. A03400260, and Mrs. Umar Kalsum Tukur Buratai, holder of
passport No. A03239920.
The petitioners further claimed that, since his appointment as COAS last
July, General Buratai had been making numerous hefty deposits in his various
bank accounts. For example, his Skye Bank account (1770380452) received a
deposit of N10 million on July 24, 2015. On August 7, 2015, another N10 million
was paid into the same account. Three days later, the account was credited with
yet another sum of N10 million. On August 11 and 17, N4 million and N3,
270,000 were credited to the account respectively.
Read More at www.saharareporters.com
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