The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Dambazzau

  • Maina: ‘AGF, HOS didn’t inform Dambazzau’ of reinstatement

    Maina: ‘AGF, HOS didn’t inform Dambazzau’ of reinstatement

    The row over the dismissed Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on Pension Reforms Task Team, Abdulrasheed Maina, deepened yesterday, following fresh revelation that Minister of Interior Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazzau was never briefed about Maina’s recall.

    Dambazzau was not even aware that Maina was in his ministry until a crisis broke out on the latter.

    Also, the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami and the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs. Winfred Oyo-Ita, did not engage Dambazzau at any point on the controversy surrounding Maina’s reinstatement.

    It was learnt that Dambazzau got to know of Maina’s recall and presence in the ministry in Vienna, Austria, when the crisis over his reinstatement erupted.

    All the correspondences on Maina were shared by the Office of the AGF, Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation and the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Interior, Abubakar Magaji.

    These facts are contained in some documents obtained by The Nation against the backdrop of the unending controversy on Maina.

    There were indications that the fact sheets have been made available to the Presidency to put Dambazzau’s position in perspective.

    Excerpts from one of the sheets read:  “Maina was serving the Ministry of Interior before he was made  the Chairman of the Pension Task Force. During the administration of ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, it was the Senior Staff Disciplinary Committee that sacked him. The Senior Staff Committee has representations from the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation and the Federal Civil service Commission.

    “Following his sack and litigation, he went back to the Senior Staff Committee for a reconsideration. The minister had no input at any level on how Maina was reinstated because administrative issues / bureaucracy are handled by the Permanent Secretary.

    “The issues of appointment, promotion and disciplinary matters are under the supervision of the Permanent Secretary through the appropriate civil service committees. This is what obtains in all ministries, where ministers do not play any role or interfere in bureaucratic process.

    “There is no direct link between the office of a minister and the OHCSF. The Permanent Secretary in each ministry relates with OHCSF.”

    On the reinstatement of Maina, another fact-sheet said: “”The Minister of Interior  had nothing to do with it because it is not within his purview. Neither the AGF/ Minister of Justice nor the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation brought Maina’s reinstatement to the Minister of Interior. In spite of the fact that ministers meet every Wednesday at the Federal Executive Council meeting,  none of them whispered that there was a case involving Maina. These facts can be verified.

    “The Minister of Interior became aware of the reinstatement of Maina when he was in Vienna, Austria following controversy on the exercise.

    “Findings by the minister confirmed that Maina was reinstated and came back to the Ministry of Interior towards the end of September. The minister was not aware of his presence until the issue  of Maina’s reinstatement became public knowledge.”

    As at press time, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission ( EFCC) was still searching for Maina.

    Maina has been arraigned with  a former Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mr. Steve Oronsaye, and two others before the court  for alleged N2 billion Pension funds allegedly mismanaged for biometric contracts.

    Others standing trial in the case, which began on July 10, 2015, are Osarenkhoe Afe and Fredrick HamiltonbGlobal Services Limited.

    The suspects are facing a 24-count charge bordering on procurement fraud and obtaining by false pretence. Neither Maina nor Oronsaye has been discharged.

    Oronsaye and two others had pleaded not guilty to the charge. Maina had been on the run until he resurfaced through bush path to resume duties.

  • Operation Python Dance not meant to harass anyone —Dambazzau

    Operation Python Dance not meant to harass anyone —Dambazzau

    The Minister of Interior, Abdularaman Dambazzau, has said the Federal Government did not establish the Operation Python Dance for the purpose of harassing anyone in the country.

    The minister made the remarks while responding to questions from newsmen after attending emergency security meeting in Government House, Rayfield, Jos yesterday.

    According to Dambazzau, “the Minister of Defense is in the best position to explain the purpose for which the special military troop was set up. But what I can say is that the government of President Muhammadu Buhari will not take any action that will put anyone in risk of his human rights.

    “So, the establishment of Operation Python Dance is purely for security reasons and for the safety and protection of all Nigerians living in the South East.

    “It is not only the Igbo that live in the South East. Other Nigerians also live there, and government will not fold its arms if it notices that lives of innocent Nigerians are beeing threatened in any part of the country.

    “So, I can assure all Nigerians that Operation Python Dance is not out to wintchunt anyone. Let all Nigerians live in peace anywhere they find themselves.”

    Commenting on the tense security situation in Plateau State, the minister said: “That is why I am in Jos to support the state government to curtail the security situation and to also assure the Plateau State Government that the Federal Government is with them at this trying moment.

    “The state governor has taken commendable proactive steps to douse tension, and I will call on all stakeholders in the state to support the governor in sustaining the peace that has prevailed since he assumed power.

    “This effort to prevent violence is not that of the governor alone; everyone in the state has the responsibility to ensure there is peace in the state. Plateau cannot afford to go back to the crisis era again”

    In his remarks after the emergency security meeting held behind close door, Governor Lalong said the curfew imposed last Thursday night would remain for as long as there was tension in the state.

    Lalong said: “The task of lifting the curfew is now in the hands of citizens of the state. If everyone remains calm, I will withdraw the curfew immediately. But if people refused to give peace a chance, then the curfew remains.

    “So, the period this curfew will last is no longer in the hands of government but in the hands of the people. “

  • 70 per cent of prison inmates awaiting trial, says Dambazzau

    •Ganduje frees 50

    Minister of Interior Lt.-Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazzau yesterday said  more than 70 per cent of inmates in Nigerian prisons were awaiting trial.

    Dambazau spoke when he visited Kano central prison alongside Kano State Governor Abdullahi Ganduje to mark the Eid-el Fitr celebration.

    The minister said the decision to visit the prison was to show to the inmates that the government was aware of their existence.

    “The high number of awaiting trial inmates is worrisome, because the prisons are meant for convicts, but you find out at the end of the day that more than 70 per cent of the people there are awaiting trial inmates,” he said.

    He said that some of the inmates were supposed to stay for a few years but ended up staying for up to 15 years while awaiting trial.

    Dambazau commended Ganduje for giving a vast piece of land for the building of 3,000 capacity modern prison in the state.

    The governor  said he had secured the release of 50 inmates and also approved the release additional 500 inmates in prisons across the state.

    He said the gesture was part of the activities to celebrate Eid-el Fitr celebration in the state.

    Ganduje said the beneficiaries were selected based on gravity of their offence and sign of reformation while in prison.

    He advised them to desist from acts that would warrant bringing them back to prison.

  • Man impersonates Dambazzau, defrauds victim of $10,000

    POLICE in Abuja have arrested a suspected fraudster, Prince Momoh Enema, who had defrauded prominent citizens in various parts of the country, using the name of the current Minister of Interior, Abdulraman, Dambazau. The 40-year-old suspect who is a native of Olamaboro Local Government Area of Kogi State, is currently undergoing interrogation by men of the Inspector General of Police Special Intelligence Response Team, IRT. Enema was arrested when he posed as Dambazzau to defraud the Seriki of Gwandabawa area of Sokoto State of the sum of $ 10,000 through a phoney contract deal. It was learnt that the leader of the syndicate, identified as Dr. Usman who is currently at large had on April 2017, contacted the Seriki, and identified himself as General Abdulraman Dambazau, the current Minister of Interior of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. He was said to have informed the Seriki that President Muhammdu Buhari had decided to reward the Seriki and his people at Gwadanbwa, Sokoto State for their support during the 2015 elections and had decided to employ 20 natives of Gwadanbawa into the Nigeria Police Force and the Customs Service. He was also said to have instructed the Seriki to send the names and curriculum vitae of the 20 persons through the office of the chief of staff to the Minister of Interior and the sum of N45,000 on each applicant for procuring training kits for them.

    The Seriki was said to have unsuspectingly sent 20 names, CVs and the said sum of N1million through the said chief of staff to the minister and a date was given to him, when the applicants would commence training. The source said: “Few weeks later, the fake minister called the Seriki and informed him that the ministry was about issuing contracts for the supply of equipment worth N3 billion to the Nigeria Police Force, Customs Service and other paramilitary organisations under the ministry. The fake minister then asked the Seriki to send him his company’s profile and the sum of $10,000 to the personal assistant to the minister. “The Seriki at this point became suspicious and decided to conduct a proper check before committing an amount as huge as $10,000 to the deal. He was said to have contacted the Federal House of Representatives member representing his constituency, Hon. Abdulahi Balarabe Salame, and urged him to verify from General Dambazau, if he had made any contacts with him and if he was truly demanding the said sum for contracts.

    ” The source added: “After confirming that the Seriki had been dealing with fraudsters, Hon. Abdullahi urged the Seriki to play along and they agreed to lure the fake minister to a location in Abuja where he would be arrested. The Seriki, then called the fake minister and informed him that he was ready to pay for the contract and that he also had a copy of his company’s profile with him. The fake minister then told him that he would be sending his Personal Assistant to pick the money and the documents, but when the said PA got to the location he was arrested by the police.” The suspect in a chat with newsmen denied being a member of the syndicate. He however confessed that he met Dr. Usman, the fake minister, at the Millennium Development Goal (MDG’S) office located at Presidential Villa, Abuja, during a contract biding session in 2014.

    The suspect who claimed to be married with two children and also the leader of Igala Young Empowerment Initiative, said: “When I met Dr Usman, he told me that he usually secure contracts from the Federal Government and sell those he could not execute and that he also buys from people who want to sell theirs. ” I reside in Abuja with my family and I have a farm in Nassarawa State, I didn’t know that he was a fraudster until I was arrested. He normally sends me on errand after which he will give me money. On the day I was arrested, he called me and we met at Area 11, Abuja from where we drove in his car to a Total Petrol Station close to the Police Force Headquarters. He asked me to go into the petrol station that someone would give me a parcel. When I entered the fillings station, I saw a big man who asked if I was the PA to the minister and I said yes. We shook hands and before I knew what was happening, I was arrested by the police. He drove out of the place immediately I was arrested. I told the people who arrested me that I wasn’t aware of what was happening and that I was only sent on errand but they didn’t listen. They took me to General Dambazzau in his office and he advised me to assist the police in arresting Dr Usman and that they will allow me go home after doing so.”

  • Dambazzau: why IDPs are not cleared to return home

    Dambazzau: why IDPs are not cleared to return home

    Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) cannot return home yet because it is not safe, Interior Minister Lt. Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazzau (rtd) said yesterday.

    He said although most towns had been recaptured from insurgents in the Northeast, security threats still remained. The government, he said, would ensure that the places devastated by the insurgents were made safer for people to return.

    Dambazzau, represented by a director in the ministry, Noah Auta, spoke in Lagos at a media roundtable with the theme: ‘Developing effective police framework to address the situation of victims of Boko Haram in Nigeria’.

    It was organised by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), in collaboration with the Ford Foundation.  It was chaired by a  former Chief Judge of Lagos, Justice Ayotunde Phillips.

    “No IDPs has been authorised to go back home. Although towns have been liberated by the military, some places still have landmines,” he said.

    Lagos State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode advocated the formulation of a more effective policy to rehabilitate victims of terrorism and IDPs.

    Ambode said as the military makes steady progress in liberating territories under Boko Haram stronghold, the task of rebuilding the communities and re-integrating the victims requires a well thought-out policy framework.

    The governor, represented by a Director in the Ministry of Special Duties, Mrs Bisi Shonibare, said re-integrating victims of terror, especially children, women and the elderly, would require a systematic process to be implemented in phases.

    Activist-lawyer Femi Falana (SAN), represented by Olanrewaju Suraju, said corruption contributed to the inability to defeat Boko Haram quicker.

    Justice Phillips, who chaired the event, said ridding the country of terrorism requires the support of all, adding that the fight should not be left to government alone.

  • Panel invites Ihejirika, Minimah, Dambazzau over arms deals

    Panel invites Ihejirika, Minimah, Dambazzau over arms deals

    Airhiavbere, Muraina, Bassey, Kitchener, Ugwu, Akinyemi, others summoned

    The Presidential Committee on Defence Equipment  Procurement in the Nigerian Armed Forces has extended its investigations to the tenure of three former Chiefs of Army Staff (COAS)  – Lt.-Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazzau, Lt.-Gen. Azubuike Ihejirika and Lt.-Gen. Kenneth Minimah.

    The panel has summoned over 292 serving and retired top  officers who worked with the three former Army chiefs.

    It said it was in line with its mandate to look into procurement of arms, ammunition and equipment from 2007 to 2015.

    The committee has also asked more than 10 local and foreign companies to appear before it. They include the Defence Industry Corporation of Nigeria (DICON).

    According to sources, the Chairman of the committee, Air Vice Marshal JON Ode, has asked  the Nigerian Army Headquarters to direct all the officers to be present at the panel.

    The panel’s letter to the Army Headquarters said: “The invitees are required to clarify issues arising from procurement between 2007 and 2015 before the committee sitting at the ONSA daily.

    “AHQ is required to cause the appearance of the senior officers and CEOs of the companies before the committee on dates stated against their names. Your cooperation will be most appreciated.”

    It was gathered last night that some of the military chiefs will testify before the panel today.

    Procurement overheads to be probed include ammunition for Darfur operation, supply of training kits and equipment; purchase of 16MG and 29 RPG and 10Grenade Launchers; repair of seven assault craft; repair service and upgrade of 29 Suncraft ; purchase of 15 Freefall Parachutes; buying of MRAP vehicles with maintenace containers; order of Radio Technologies Equipment; purchase of 10 APCs by DICON; 51 GPMG and sustenance of Operation Zaman Lafiya; emergency procurement of Combat Equipment for Ongoing Ops; Operation Internal Security; Quick Response Group and Forward Operation Bases; HE Type Mortal and purchase of Bullet Proof Vests.

    Some of the retired officers invited are former Commander of the Army Finance Corps, Maj-Gen Charles Ehigie Airhiavbere (the former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in Edo State; former Corps Commander, Nigerian Army Ordinance Corps, Lagos , Maj.-Gen. Olayemi Abidoye; ex-Chief of Policy and Plans, Army Headquarters, Major General E. E. Bassey; former General Officer Commanding 3 Armoured Division, Major General Jack Okechukwu Nwaogbo; former Chief of Training and Operations, Defence Headquarters (DHQ), Major General M.A. Yerima; former Chief of Policy and Plans, Army Headquarters, Major General O Akinyemi; former Commandant, Nigerian Army Ordnance Corps (NAOC)Major-General A. A. Martins; ex-GOC 3 Amoured Div, Maj.Gen. AB Marwa; and former Chief of Policy and Plans at Army headquarters, Major General A. Atofarati.

    Others include former Commandant, Army Finance Corps, Gen. A.I. Muraina; ex- Directing Staff, National Defence College, Maj-Gen. Christian Onuorah Ugwu; former Director-General, Defence Industries Corporation (DICON), Maj.-Gen. Ekwenugo Chioba; former Chief of Policy and Plans, Army Headquarters, Major General Essien Bassey;  former  Chief of Logistics at the Army Headquarters, Maj.-Gen. Daniel Kitchener; and former Defence Attaché at the Nigerian Embassy in Pakistan, Maj.-Gen. Daniel Kitchener.

    Some of the local and foreign firms slated for interaction, alongside their Chief Executive Officers,  are DICON;  Streit Group; China North Industries; Suncraft International Inc;  Shangai L Electronics; Poly Trechnologies Inc; NRTC Pakistan; Kennedy Logistics; DYS Global Service Limited; Driveline System; Hadassa Investment Security Nigeria Ltd; Oraco Trade Link Limited and M/S Jatori.

    Although some serving Army Generals are expected to appear before the panel, their names are being kept under wraps “for strategic reasons”.

    A source, who spoke in confidence, said: “All those invited have been served letters and some of them will appear on Monday (today).

    “Actually, most of them have nothing to do with fraud in the Nigerian Army but the panel cannot do a thorough job and be fair minded without hearing from them. For instance, all past commanders of Army Ordinance Corps from 2007 to 2015 were summoned by the panel. The Ordinance Corps has more or less to do with keeping inventory of arms,  ammunition and other equipment. All they need to do is to reconcile the records of arms purchased and those utilised.

    “The chairman of the committee, AVM Ode, is a thorough professional and a respected man of probity.  This is why the committee wants to meet with all key stakeholders who have had to take decisions on arms procurement.”

    Asked if the committee will interact with the three former Chiefs of Army Staff, the source said: “If there is need for it, Generals Dambazzau, Ihejirika and Minima will certainly be invited.

    “Please note, none of all those invited is facing trial. They will only interact with this fact-finding committee. At the end of the day, the panel will make recommendations to the President and Commander-In-Chief, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari.

    “Where there are infractions,the C-I-C will make appropriate decision, based on facts and figures.

    “No one is the target; nobody has been labeled a thief or looter. We are looking into massive procurement issues in the Nigerian Army.”

  • Chibok girls: We’re hopeful, says Dambazzau

    Chibok girls: We’re hopeful, says Dambazzau

    Minister for Interior Gen. Bello Dambazzau at the weekend said the abducted Chibok school girls will be rescued.

    He spoke during an interview with reporters at the Palace of the Lagos monarch, Oba Rilwanu Akiolu.

    Dambazau, who visited the monarch, urged Nigerians to be hopeful, adding that the government will ensure their safe return.

    According to him, the police and the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) were collaborating with the military towards the rescue of the abducted girls.

    “Though the rescue of the Chibok girls is not within my jurisdiction, as a parent I would like to see the Chibok girls back home. It is unfortunate that much time was wasted in the past, but Nigerians should not lose hope on the Chibok girls as the government is would bring the girls home.

    “The Police and the Civil Defence Corps are working with the army towards rescuing the girls and providing security for Nigerians,” Dambazzau said.

    Dambazzau said he was at the palace to solicit the monarch’s support for the agencies under his watch in Lagos.