Category: Sunday magazine

Following the controversial $9.3m, said to be meant for arms procurement, and smuggled into South Africa but impounded by the South African authorities, Gboyega Alaka takes a look into the highly secretive world of arms dealers, the huge market and glamour.

ALL over the world and going by recent recorded history, the business of arms dealing is and has always been shrouded in secrecy. In most cases, it also reeks of illicitness, arm-twisting and deliberate stoking of conflicts and wars amongst and within nations to create business environment and open up market for their dangerous merchandise. In most cases, dealers breach all known international laws and regulations, to sell the weapons to their target market, all in their bids to make humongous profit and revel in lousy opulence. Probably because of the high sensitivity of the business and fear of being labeled ‘merchants of death’ however, one hardly ever gets to know the individuals or organisations trading in these weapons of destruction, except or course if you’re privileged by the nature of your job, or in extreme cases where disagreements between buyers and dealers have helped in routing them into the open.

That notwithstanding, the business has remained most lucrative globally to producing nations – probably next to oil and automobiles, and attracting some of the world’s most unscrupulous and privileged individuals as dealers and intermediaries. Owing to the huge sums of money usually involved, the business has also thrown up some of the world’s wealthiest and most glamorous gentlemen, from the flamboyant Saudi businessman, Adnan Khashoggi, to the huge American, Dale Stoffel popular in his days for routinely hanging a machine-gun across his back and posting the super mercenary image. There is also the very affluent Bangladeshi Dr. Moosa Bin Shamsher, dubbed Prince Moosa and renowned for his excessive display of wealth, and the Russian Victor Anatolyevich Bout, rated number one on the list of global arms dealers.

In no particular order, the top countries in the fore-front of arms production and export include the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, China and Russia. According to the Amnesty International, this six countries supply three quarters of the value of the world’s weapons, meaning that deliberate efforts from them could go a long way in stemming lethal violence across the world. A report published by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) titled ‘Who are the biggest arms producers?’ indicated that sales of weapons and military services exceeded $400bn in 2010. It also wrote that US-based Company Lockheed Martin topped the list of the 100 biggest arms producers and military service organisations worldwide, with $35.7b worth of arms sales in 2010 alone. To underline the lucrative nature of the business, it also wrote that “the entry point for inclusion on the list rose from sales of $280m in 2002 to $640m in 2010.

While it admitted that the report and ranking does not include Chinese companies and Russia, which data were not immediately available, it said 44 US-based companies featured accounted for over 60% of all arms sales by the top 100 companies.

Unregulated export in the past is also said to have been responsible for these arms falling into wrong hands and creating unending conflicts that perpetually threatens the world’s fragile peace. Hence from the civil war in Nigeria, to the arms struggle in Angola and other Southern African republics in the days leading to their liberation, to the civil wars in Liberia, Sierra Leone, the Iran-Iraq war, leading to the Gulf War; the on-going Libyan and Syrian civil wars in the Middle East, and the plethora of insurgency battles littering the African continent and the Middle East, accusing fingers have pointed in the direction of arms producing countries and dealers.

Already the Amnesty International has suggested that legal and covert arms transactions between the world’s top arms manufacturers and their intermediaries have also been largely responsible for human rights abuses, as perpetrated by tyrannical governments in developing countries around the world, leading to the institution of the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT), which opened for signatures on June 3, 2013. As at June 16, 2014, the treaty already has 115 signatories and 27 state parties, who are obligated to regulate ammunition or munitions fired, launched, or delivered by enumerated conventional arms, including battle tanks, combat vehicles, missiles, missile launchers and small arms. It also requires parties to regulate export of parts and components that may assemble these conventional arms, all in a bid to regulate and water down the proliferation of the deadly merchandise.

The Amnesty International report and the ITT regulations might also not be unconnected with Nigerian government’s recent difficulty in procuring arms to prosecute the on-going insurgency war against boko haram, as it reportedly accused the American government of severally frustrating its quests to legitimately purchase arms, culminating in a discreet transaction that subsequently backfired and threw the country into another hot controversy. The Nigerian government penultimate week admitted that it was behind the $9.3 million cash impounded in a private jet belonging to CAN President, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor by the South African government, claiming that it was meant for the purchase of arms and that it had opened talks with the South African authorities to straighten out matters and secure release of the money.

A statement credited to ‘multiple military and administrative officials’ in a Nigerian online medium last week, claimed the government adopted the subterranean strategy after American officials’ actions made the government’s effort at legitimately procuring arms impossible. “America has kept posturing to the world that they are helping us to fight Boko Haram. But that is far from the truth. We have money to buy all the arms we need but the U.S. has continued to stand in our way. They won’t let us buy arms and they are also discouraging other countries from selling to us. They are saying we stand accused of human rights abuses by human rights group and that we won’t be allowed to get arms,” the statement read in part.

 

Oritsejafor: In the eye of the storm

There is also the little snag that has embroiled the nation’s topmost Christian leader, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, whose private jet was purportedly used in ferrying the ‘smuggled’ cash. While the pastor has come out to refute any kind of involvement in the transaction, saying that the jet was under lease to Green Coast Produce Company Limited, tongues have continued to wag, with some going as far as suggesting the pastor’s culpability in arms dealing or worse still, purchase of arms to fight Nigerian Muslims.

A.S.M. Jimoh, a pro-Islam writer, pointedly wrote in an article titled ‘The cash-for-arms scandal and security of the Nigerian Muslims’ and published by saharareporters.com on September 19, that “How can a government which is not under any arm embargo decide to purchase arms using questionable means and shady characters. Oritsejafor is neither a licensed airline operators nor the Israeli facilitator a licensed arm dealer. How a plane ‘donated’ to God (sic) by unknown Church member found itself in arm and cash trafficking has to be unraveled. Is using God’s plane to buy arms also a pastoral work? It is even more unecclesiastical if the arms are to be purchased using syndicate.”

He also wondered how “A plane supposedly purchasing arm for government has no single government officials in it. The issue also raises question on the increased number of private plane owners under the Jonathan’s administration, most of them his confidants. Is this arm purchase for the snipers mentioned in Obasanjo’s letter?”

But Oritsejafor has insisted that, “At the risk of being seen to be defending myself, I wish to confirm to the distinguished leaders of the church that the Bombardier Challenger 601 aircraft in question is mine. The aircraft was presented to me as a gift by members of our congregation and ministry partners worldwide at my 40th anniversary of my call into the ministry.”

He also explained that, “In order to ameliorate the cost of maintenance of the aircraft, I sought and got permit to allow the aircraft fly in and out of Nigeria. Based on this, I leased the aircraft on August 2, 2014, to a company to run it. It was the leasee that entered into an agreement with the people who carried out the transfer of funds. Having leased the aircraft to the Green Coast Produce Company Limited, any transaction undertaken with the aircraft can no longer be attached to me.”

In what however, appeared like an appeal to, the emotions of his fellow Christian faithful, the pastor  was also quoted as saying that “In as much as I am shocked and distressed by the incident, I wish to appeal to Christians in Nigeria to remember that a war has been waged against the Nigerian church. This war is being fought on many fronts and this unfortunate incident is another dimension in the assault against the church.”

Liborous Oshoma, a legal practitioner, public analyst and a Christian, however, thinks the coincidence is too strong. “This is a man that has been so vociferous in the support of the president. Whatever the president does, Ayo Oritsejafor does not see anything wrong with it; same with E. K Clark. Now all of a sudden, the same Oritsejafor has leased his private jet to some company that now leased it out to the government to ferry money and buy arms that are going to be used in fighting insurgent Boko Haram, who have been killing Christians.”

He pointed out how the CAN president has “unfortunately appointed himself unofficial Special Adviser to the president on religious matters, “literally seeing nothing wrong with whatever President Jonathan does, and taking it too far by embarrassing the whole nation, when he and some pastors went to lay hands on the president in far away Jerusalem last year.”

Oshoma also took a swipe at the ‘men of God’s’ voracious crave for aircrafts, which maintenance is now causing them more headache than luxury. “We have seen how they all acquired private jets and now the cost of maintaining the private jets is a heavy burden to the extent that they are now hired through the back door. We call it kabukabu in the air.  They all do it and in most cases, they tell you that the jets are carrying friends of the owner, so that they will not pay duties to the government.”

While Barrister Fred Nzeako, a lawyer, economist and public affairs analyst, says it might be difficult to establish the pastor’s culpability in the whole saga, he says there is a strong moral question of how and why a pastor could be caught-up in such a mess, whether directly or indirectly. “We have 11 functional jets in the presidential fleet out of the total 15; we have military aircrafts; we have other commercial planes that could have been leased for such transactions. Why should it be the one that bears the signature and imprint of a pastor and head of a respected body like the Christian Association? Don’t forget also the closeness and rapport that exists between the pastor and the president.”

 

A form of money laundering?

Responding to government’s position that it is not out of place to ferry such huge money physically during such transactions,  Nzeako says “it is obviously not a strong enough defence, but that would not be because of Nigeria’s adopted cashless policy, as this may not necessarily apply in the country where you’re transacting or the general international market. If you need a product and the dealer says ‘pay me in cash for one reason or the other,’ it may be allowed. But where it becomes a worrisome affair is when the receiving country does not even know that such huge chunk of cash is coming into the country.”

Going by international best practices, Nzeako also says that one may not completely condemn the fact that the government tried to buy arms with cash, more so, when it had become public knowledge that the government was having challenges buying arms from some advanced countries due to the Amnesty International’s accusation that they are being used against civilians. “The fact that advance countries like US, Britain and co are not comfortable with the corruption level amongst the dealers and the government officials, such that we do not even know the final destinations of the arms, raises a very big question. Even international observers believe that some of the arms in the hands of the boko haram elements came from the Nigerian armoury.”

For him therefore, “It is the non reportage of the movement of such huge cash into South Africa that has raised dust. If the money was reported to South African authorities – and I am of the strong opinion that it should have been reported, except if it was not meant for what the government has said it was meant for. Don’t forget that people have also been saying that the government’s declaration might just be a convenient excuse. But if we want to give the government a second chance, we may take them by their words, and now say that the process was bungled, leading to huge embarrassment for the country.”

And a huge loss too, because give or take, Nzeako says Nigeria stands to forfeit a considerable chunk of that money as sanction: “I do not know the policy in South Africa regarding such undeclared fund, but if it were Nigeria, whoever transports such money into the country without notifying and getting approval from the authorities forfeits 25% of the money.  Assuming the law in South Africa is such that transporters of such money will lose 100%; that would then mean that Nigeria has lost $9.3million to the South Africa economy.”

Oshoma on his part out-rightly declared that “I personally will not buy that arms-buying story. I think somebody somewhere was trying to launder money. That is why, when it finally backfired, somebody had to quickly do damage control, which was why the government came out to say ‘we are aware’. Up till date, nobody in government has come out to say ‘we actually ordered that transaction.’ Not the DSS, not the Nigerian army, not the presidency.”

He posited four fundamental questions to boost his incredulity: Why was the cash not declared to the Nigerian customs and the South African authority, if indeed it was meant for arms transactions. Second, ‘which is easier- to transfer money electronically or charter a jet and incur huge additional cost, especially in the face of its cashless policy and international best practice on money transfer?

Thirdly, the same government recently took delivery of fighter jets and equipments from the government it has been accusing of not being cooperative, culminating in the military’s recent successes.

Fourthly, the government is buying arms for security agents and yet they (the security agents) are not aware, whereas they should actually be the ones giving specifications, and in most cases, sending the procurement department over for verification.

To him therefore, this could just be one of the ways in which corrupt politicians ferry money out of the country and then bring them back in form of some phony investments and donations from abroad.

Retired Col. Hassan Stan-Labo is currently a security consultant and MD/CEO of Hakes and Partners. He showers some light on the controversy that has surrounded the seized $9.3m and the standard criteria for arms procurement.

ARMS and ammunition are necessary evils and abound everywhere both for legitimate and illegitimate use, yet its trade is always shrouded in secrecy. Why is this so?

Arms and Ammunition are necessary evils and aboard everywhere like you have rightly said, but possession of it requires some level of authorisation. Even in far more liberal environments like the US, you must be licensed to own arms and ammunition. In our own case, you are out-rightly not allowed to own automated weapons. For the non-automated, you must be licensed. This restriction is what has led to the high level of secrecy that shrouds its trade transactions. The reason for the restriction, you will agree with me is aimed at preventing abuse and lowering the level of sophisticated crime.

Could the secrecy around arms dealing be because dealers are afraid of being labeled ‘Angels of death’?

Not necessarily. Don’t forget the preventive role of saving lives, which represents yet a positive side to the application of Arms and ammunition.

The government has come out to say that purchasing arms with huge cash across international borders may not be out of place, but how about transporting such money illegally  since it was not declared to the South African authority?

All that transpired with respect to the $9.3m saga is not out of place to me given the

peculiar situation we presently find ourselves in executing the BokoHaram Campaign in the North Eastern axis. However, what I find rather disturbing would be our inability to utilise all diplomatic channels open to us. Secondly, how come the South African authorities were in the dark over our intension? The fact that we are now seen to be violating South African money laundering laws over an issue that ought to have been amicably discussed between two heads of states or ambassadors raises a big question. How come the authorities in South Africa were not expecting us until we sneaked into their territory? Again, why was the money not transferred electronically, and what were the arrangements in place for transporting the weapon items back to Nigeria? Finally, one is also forced to wonder why there were no defense ministry staff or military representatives on board the aircraft?

Has Nigeria always purchased arms from the South African government? Which countries are our usual customers in this regard?

I would not say confidentially that we have never purchased arms from South Africa, but I know our traditional suppliers are the western nations, especially the NATO member countries, as we share a lot in terms of training and doctrine with them.

One would have expected such purchases to be undertaken by the procurement department of the military or ministry of defence. As a retired senior military personnel, can you tell us the standard process of purchasing arms for the security forces? Is it normal for it to emanate directly from the presidency?

Like I said earlier, there is nothing wrong in certain ad-hoc arrangements made or put in place to avail some requirements in executing a war. But utilising diplomatic channels to save unforeseen embarrassments as currently witnessed with South Africa should always be considered. The insinuations created by this seeming action or in action is that our money is being carted out of the country under the guise of arms purchase. It becomes extremely difficult convincing the ordinary Nigerian on the street to refrain from such thoughts and learn to trust his leaders. Be that as it may, let me attempt to state what should be the norm in the procurement of items for the military. Be informed also that there may be deviations, depending on the level of exigency that pervades under any given emergency. The public procurement Act of 2007 lays out the general instructions, rules and directives to be adhered to by all ministers, Directorates & Agencies (MDA). Application to the military is therefore likely to take these formats: First, a summary of inputs from the end user of the equipment stating request backed up by supporting reasons why equipment is required, would be forwarded to Army Headquarters (AHQ). Next the approval of the AHQ is secured after the necessary due  diligence. The request is then forwarded to the Ministry of Defence, where necessary priorisation takes place. Following a ministerial approval, the request is then forwarded to NASS for appropriation amongst other needs. Thereafter the National Assembly Budgetary Appropriation is released, with due allocation to cater for the request. Then comes the Tender Stage, where only vendors who are representatives of manufacturers are allowed to indicate interest. This is followed by the bidding process, where vendors who have shown interest after taking cognisance of the configurations and specifications that go with the item in request, initiate bidding. Depending on the type of item, factory inspections may then be required to ascertain the capability and suitability of some manufacturing firms. Finally comes the Contract Agreement, where a good contract Agreement is signed between the military, manufacturers,  and vendor,  accommodating amongst other vital issues the shipping arrangements, point of delivery, testing arrangement, spare parts maintenance, training for operating and maintenance crew.

How about the pastor’s involvement? A lot of people are not buying the ‘leasing theory’ about the jet. Is it normal for the government or any of the security agencies to hire an independent civilian’s aircraft, when the presidency is said to have up to 11 functional jet in its fleet; aside the numerous others available to the military?

I know the leasing theory as put forward by the authorities may be difficult to sell. But let me tell you frankly: within intelligence circles in the international arena, everything is possible. The most grievous error done here is that unlike the Nonega issue years back in the US, where someone claimed responsibility and resigned to save the presidency from any form of culpability and embarrassment, the entire presidential aides in our  own case have  ignorantly or foolishly exposed the presidency to so much  bashing and desecration. In better climes, somebody with enough clout, power and relevance like the NSA, Director, DSS, Chief of Staff at the presidency etc, would claim responsibility and turn in his resignation letter almost immediately to save face for the presidency. These things could even be arranged with juicy compensations, to prevent the polity from being over heated by comments from opposition and the general public. Unfortunately, nobody here wants to be the sacrificial lamb

Again, is it not easier and more cost-effective to simply transfer the money electronically, bearing in mind that the same government has been campaigning for cashless transactions?

You are right, electronic transfer would have been the most cost effective way to handle it. However, if the intention was to silently carry out the purchase rather surreptitiously, then the cash less option would not be considered.

Finally, what are the criteria an individual needs to meet to be licensed to deal in arms?

To be an arms dealer or supplier, you must, amongst other conditions, be an arms vendor, a registered contractor with the Ministry of Defence and a manufacturer’s representative.

Internationally, arms dealers across the world have at one time or the other fallen out with the law, would this imply that it is a dangerous business. How delicate is it?

I have never been an arms dealer, but common sense informs that given the commodity we are talking about, it must be a dangerous and delicate business. It is a business that involves you playing sometimes alongside dreaded clientele and cartels

Olatunbosun Babatunde Kosoko, a 2009 Lagos State University graduate of International Relations is a descendant of the Kosoko family in Lagos. He was shot at the back by suspected armed robbers three years ago. This has affected his spinal cord and he has been going from one hospital to another. He talks about his predicaments to Taiwo Abiodun.

HE is fair in complexion and handsome. His  dream  after the completion of  his course at the Lagos State University (LASU ), Ojo, was  to work in an  embassy if given the opportunity. Unfortunately, when he completed his studies he worked briefly in a private firm – Lagos Tertiary Institution Transport Corps – and was looking forward to working in an embassy when tragedy struck.

 

Black Sunday

According  to Olatunbosun Babatunde Kosoko,37, his travails  started three years ago (on  September 11, 2011)-when he was driving out to meet one of his friends who was preparing for a wedding. His story: “A friend of mine, (we call him Kenny),was preparing for his wedding and I was going to his place in order to assist  him do shopping. When  I left home on that Sunday morning,  I never knew it would be my last outing or else I  would have turned back home on seeing the  heavy traffic. When I got to Agric Bus stop in Ikorodu area, I tried to avoid a gulley. Suddenly I heard a big  bang on my  Camry Car, and  when I looked back,  I  saw  two men on a motorbike (Okada). I again looked back whether I knew them but when their faces were not familiar, I kept on driving. As I attempted to drive into a filling station the two men crossed me again. I glanced at them to ascertain whether I knew them. They  later pursued me and demanded for the golden necklace I was wearing, my  wedding band, wrist watch, trinkets  and the money I wanted to use to buy clothes as one of my friend’s grooms men. I quickly obeyed and quietly gave them all without objection and they left. But again, they in a jiffy returned to me and by this time they meant business. When I saw  that one of them  cocked his gun and was about to pull the trigger, I  immediately sensed that  he was going to shoot  me  and I quickly  bowed my head to avoid    hitting me on  the  head. Lo and behold, that was all I could remember until I heard the sound of a gunshot.”

In an emotion taden voice, he continued: “Four days later, I found myself on the hospital bed where I was told that I had been unconscious for four days. I learnt that I had been taken to Ikorodu General Hospital where I was rejected but later referred to the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Ikeja . It was there that I was told that  the bullet hit  my thoracic  3 and 4 and I was operated on but was  later told after the operation that  there was possibility that I would lose my lower limbs. A surgery called ‘exploration of spinal cord canal’, was performed on me on September 23, of 2011.”

 

More problems after the operation

Kosoko said that at the hospital, the medical doctor confirmed his state of health, saying he would not  be able to sit down not to talk of walking in his life again. “The doctor told me about 11days after the operation that the gun has done a severe damage to my spinal cord  and that it had affected my number 3 and 4 spinal vertebra and that I would need  another major operation in order to be  able to be confined in a wheelchair  for life if I am going to be well at all. The doctor advised that I should build on my upper limbs. I went from one hospital to another, I went to Eko Hospital where I underwent another surgery. I spent some months  before I  was later discharged. Later, I realised that one of my legs had  swollen up and I was directed  to  a traditional bone – setter at Mile 12  where I stayed for two years. But there was no improvement – I couldn’t walk. I became devastated. I said many who have spinal cord injury  can still sit up, but for me I couldn’t sit on a chair except lying on my back. I couldn’t standup too. I went to Igbobi Orthopedic Hospital to see how I could treat my swollen leg but the doctor after many X-rays said the bone in my pelvic had scattered and healed in a wrong place as the pelvic had been shattered by the gun. I was told this was serious. They said if they open it again it could degenerate to another thing.

“My problem continued as I came home and discovered that I could not pass urine as my system had been badly affected. There was no money to go to the hospital so a nurse was brought to me to fix catheter on my bladder but she blew the balloon and blood did not circulate in there. I became uncomfortable as I later discovered that there was no urine in the urine bag. I sent for her and when she removed the rubber blood was rushing out, which could fill an bottle of water. I collapsed and fainted because I had lost some pints of blood. I was later rushed to the hospital that night where another surgery was performed pending the time the urethra will be functioning on its own. They then performed a minor surgery and I had been using urine bag but blood was still coming out. I spent another one week at the hospital. Now, I am still using the catheter.”

According to Kosoko, the doctor had advised him to go to Israel for the surgery to enable him sit on the chair. He said, “I was told to go and do spinal cord operation in Israel so as to be able to sit on a chair. The doctor said the pellet broke my spine and left a big gap, he found out that the space was too big and it had affected my lower limbs, immediately the pellets went into my spinal cord it affected my bone, and I couldn’t push and my urination was no longer regular.  I was going to the toilet 10 times a day until it went to once in a week, now the legs gap has become tiny.”

 

Deserted by family and friends

Kosoko claims he only sees very few of his friends now as many have deserted him. He said: “When I was working and making money,  I assisted many but when I had this problem some  were coming  until they stopped. I was on a temporary employment and it was a private job and the job had stopped since my family had deserted me, only few of my friends come here. But I thank the few who remembered I had assisted them when I was still agile for they gathered money to rent this self – contained apartment for me and my wife last year September. I was not close to my biological father because I grew up in Owo in Ondo State with my maternal father whom I bore his name until I gained admission to the university.”

Kosoko said he does not want to be a burden to anybody so he had wanted the operation done if he can only sit on a wheelchair for life. “I want the operation to be done because all my friends have tried their best. My wife has tried but it would get to a point when she too would be tired of my problem, and one cannot blame her.”

 

Don’t let me die!

Kosoko is appealing for assistance from good -spirited Nigerians. He lamented:  “I came home to stay waiting for death. I realised that I had bedsore, I was bed wetting and I am just lying on my back all along. My held dream had been shattered and I am unable to fulfill my long dream and ambition -no thanks to the wicked armed robbers that struck. The gunshot  which affected my numbers 3 and 4 spinal cords resulted in many complications. Now, I cannot sit or shift my body except I am carried or lifted up or turned.” as he was talking, he was groaning in pains. His  two  legs  had started withering and going numb while from his waist downwards he has remained  motionless – he could  no longer  lift or move his body  on his own.

In tears, he appealed: “Please, Oga Journalist I cannot stand up or sit on my own. This is how I had been lying for the past three years. Now I am developing bedsore, and I know the implications.” He continued, “I had been told that I will not be able to walk again but I shall be able to sit on a wheelchair if the surgery is performed.”

 

Still hopeful

But one thing about him is that he wants to live and does not want to be a burden because, according to him, his hands and brain are still very active. Exuding confidence and with sincerity he added, ” I know I cannot walk or stand on my feet for life but let me be sitting on a wheel chair to enable me do something and not be totally useless and be a burden on anybody.

“We had gone to series of places and they said I am going to spend about N6.5million for the surgery. I will do another scan before the end of this month,” he said.

His wife, Oluwakemi  Meminat Kosoko, also a graduate of Business Studies from LASU said “since he was shot my world has crashed.”

She is unhappy that she had been denied the joys of marital life, “We courted for six years and after our marriage the devil crawled in. I felt bad because I didn’t enjoy my marriage.”