The Nigeria government has revealed that the newly appointed service chiefs on assumption of office, could not find the weapons President Muhammadu Buhari approved billions to their predecessors to have purchased.
National Security Adviser, Major General Babagana Munguno made this revelation in an interview with BBC Hausa service on Friday.
Major General Munguno said the failure of the security personnel to get adequate weapons is a setback to the fight against insecurity.
“It is not that we are not working to end the security challenge in the country. The President has done his own part and allocated a huge amount of money to purchase weapons but they are yet to be here. We don’t know where they are.
“I am not saying that the past service chiefs have diverted the money, but presently we don’t know where the money is”, Munguno said.
The NSA while reacting to whether investigation has commenced to that effect said: “I am sure the President will investigate this. As I am talking to you now, even the Nigerian Governors’ Forum has started questioning where the money is. So I assure you that the President is not playing with anything that has to do with the people.
“I can’t say the money was stolen but we didn’t see anything and even the new service chiefs said they didn’t see the weapons. It is possible the weapons are on their way coming. Maybe from America, England and other places but as at now, I didn’t see anything and the new service chiefs too didn’t see any weapons either.”
President Muhammadu Buhari appointed the former service chiefs as Ambassadors after sacking them in January 2021 and they include: ex-Chief of Defence Staff, Abayomi Olonisakin; former Chief of Army Staff; Tukur Buratai, former Chief of Naval Staff; Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas; and former Chief of Air Staff, Sadique Abubakar.
