The anti-corruption war may be yielding positive results as one of the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) chiefs implicated in the $2.1 billion arms deal has been reported to have returned N66 million out of the N90 million traced to him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The said Air chief has been placed under house arrest at the Niger Barracks, in Abuja who is a Principal Staff Officer at NAF Headquarters, has been released from detention and asked to go and look for the balance of the money but doesn’t mean he is completely exonerated according to an EFCC insider who spoke to Vanguard.
It was gathered that the other officers being detained by the NAF High Command, on behalf of the EFCC, were not allowed the privileged because they had refused to cooperate fully with the EFCC interrogation team even though some had returned exotic cars and other valuables.
It was also gathered that an Air Commodore, said to have benefitted from the arms deal and has properties in Dubai, Kaduna and Abuja, has been arrested and is in detention.
One of the detained Air Vice Marshals (AVMs) is said to be the leader of the team that went to buy aircraft with incomplete parts and also inflated the price from $6million to over $30million.
It will be recalled that the NAF High Command had, on Thursday, stepped up its anti-corruption war with the removal of some officers including Air Officers Commanding and Principal Staff officers fingered in the arms deal and appointed new Air Officers Commanding.