Prominent Northern academic and Second Republic lawmaker, Dr. Junaid Mohammed has claimed that a cabal in the Presidency doctored the Arms Procurement Probe Report so as not to indict the former Chief of Army Staff and Minister of Interior, Major General Abdulrahman Dambazau (rtd) and former Director of Procurements, Defence Headquarters, who is the current Chief Of Army Staff, Major General Tukur Buratai.
Mohammed, who revealed this while speaking with The Guardian, said that Dambazau is a close ally of Alhaji Mamman Daura, who is President Buhari’s nephew, and also head of the ‘cabal’ in Buhari’s presidency today.
He said: “Nigerians should recall that the three Chiefs of Army Staff who served during the period under review included Major General Abdulrahman Dambazau, who is also the current Minister of Interior, Major General Azubuike Ihejirika, Major General Kenneth Minimah and Major General Tukur Buratai, who before his appointment as the current Chief of Army Staff, was Director of Procurement, Defence Headquarters for years.
“The Report of the Committee was doctored in the Presidency by some cabal after it was submitted, to shield Dambazau and Buratai who were allegedly indicted.”
“Dambazau is a close ally of Alhaji Mamman Daura, who is President Buhari’s nephew, and also head of the ‘cabal’ in Buhari’s presidency today. Buratai is an ally of Dambazau and President Buhari. So there is no way the Presidency will not shield the duo.”
Mohammed added that since Buratai and Dambazau served as director of procurement in the Defence Headquarters and Chief of Army Staff under the period reviewed, there is no way they would not have been indicted in the Report.
“Why is Ihejirika under any form of detention now? Why is he being harassed, when the Presidency is shielding some persons indicted in the report? Is it because he is not President’s ally or not from the North? President Buhari should publish the original copy of the Report, the way that of Nigerian Air Force mess was made public.
“Nigerians should know that as far as the cabal holds sway in Aso Rock, nothing will happen to Dambazua and Buratai,”Mohammed added.
However, Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, has debunked claims that the Arms Probe report was doctored for any reason.
He further maintained that Nigerians should trust the government as Buhari’s anti-corruption fight is non-discriminatory.