Chief of Army staff, General Buratai, involved in dubious contract; owns property in Dubai
Posted by admin | 8 years ago | 2,650 times
Investigation has shown that Nigeria’s Chief of Army Staff (COAS), General Tukur Buratai, and his two wives are joint owners of a Dubai property that was paid for in one transaction.
According to SaharaReporters, the money for the purchase of the property may have come from a vehicle contract scam while Mr. Buratai was the Director of Procurement at the Army HQ.
It was further discovered that the Nigerian Army had awarded an apparently bogus contract for the supply of vehicles and motorcycles for the use of troops involved in an anti-terrorism offensive in Nigeria’s beleaguered northeastern zone.
Reports have further disclosed that the alleged scam forced the Concerned Soldiers and Officers From the North East to petition President Muhammadu Buhari urging him to order an investigation into the contract.
The petitioners revealed that Mr Buratia was acting through his alleged proxy, Usman Gamawa, founder of Baggash Investment Limited.
The old vehicles were reportedly bought in Niger Republic and later refurbished at Mogadishu Cantonment under the supervision of Staff Sergeant Dadan Garba.
“If President Buhari can give service chiefs enough money to buy equipment, why are they buying old ones?” the petitioners asked.
The petition claims that the property the Buratais acquired in Dubai was bought from a company, SIGMA 111 Limited.
According to a document exclusively received by SaharaReporters, General Buratai and his wives had, on January 13, 2013, reached an agreement with the seller for the purchase of the property, Project TFG Marina Hotel, Unit 2711. The asking price was AED 1,542,000.00 (or $419,826.06 or N120m). They alleged that General Buratai paid a total sum of AED 1,498, 534.00 (N115.6m) because the sellers gave concessions of AED 43,466, made up of “incentives, promotions, and early payment bonus.”
The agreement indicating full payment for the house and the handing over of ownership to the Buratais was signed on January 13, 2014. The document identified the COAS as “Mr. Tukur Yusuf Buratai, holder of passport No. A04250623.” The general’s wives were identified as Mrs. Aishatu Tukur Buratai, holder of passport No. A03400260, and Mrs. Umar Kalsum Tukur Buratai, holder of passport No. A03239920.
A spokesman to the General Buratai admitted that the general owned a house in Dubai, but denied the allegation that the COAS and his wives had purchased a home in Dubai by making a single payment.
“Please know that the allegation on the Chief of Army Staff and members of his family owning a property in Dubai is an old one. It is a fact that the family bought such property through personal savings and [it] was paid for instalmentally since 2013.
It may interest you to know that this petition is not new because there was [a] similar allegation in March this year, [but] it could not see the light of the day because there was no substance in it,” he said.
General Buratai’s spokesman added that some human rights organizations and well-meaning individuals confirmed that information about his property in Dubai was in the general’s assets declaration form.
“The mentioned assets were always declared in his asset declaration forms as Commander MNJTF and the most recent one was when he was appointed Chief of Army Staff in July 2015,” the aide stated.
He added: “As regards to the contractor, the Chief of Army Staff has nothing to do with it. But when it came to his knowledge, he instituted a commission of inquiry, which investigated it and made far-reaching recommendations which were being implemented.” He said the inquiry found out that the vehicles were not refurbished.
Source: SaharaReporters
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