Arms Deal: EFCC Grills Former Army Chief, Ihejirika

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, yesterday, grilled former Chief of Army Staff, Azubuike Ihejirika over his alleged involvement in the $2.1 billion arms procurement scandal. EFCC sources, who revealed this, said Ihejirika, a retired lieutenant-general, arrived at the EFCC headquarters in Abuja around 11:00 am yesterday and was subsequently ushered into an interrogation room.

According to the source, “He is being questioned as related to the procurement of arms and ammunition during the time he held sway as Chief of Army Staff. “He will be released on administrative bail as soon as preliminary interrogations are over.” The source further noted that Ihejirika didn’t immediately have answers to some of the questions thrown at him and sought the permission of his interrogators to go back home and retrieve more details relating to the arms purchase affairs.

However, EFCC spokesperson, Wilson Uwujaren could not be reached to confirm the story as at press time.
Recall that Ihejirika led the Nigerian Army from September 2010 to January 2014 when he was dropped by President Goodluck Jonathan over his handling of the Boko Haram war. His visit to the EFCC comes about 20 months after President Muhammadu Buhari said Ihejirika and others should be prosecuted after they were indicted by a panel of inquiry that probed the arms scandal, now widely dubbed the Dasukigate.