There is palpable disquiet in the highest echelon of political and security architecture in the country over the arrest of a close associate of President Muhammadu Buhari and a member of the Presidential Committee on Arms Procurement probe, Air Commodore Mohammed Umar (rtd). The retired air force officer was arrested penultimate Sunday by operatives of the Department of State Service (DSS).
According to a media report, Umar was arrested for fronting for “top officials in the office of the National Security Adviser and the EFCC.”
However, informed sources said that the arrest of the retired military officer was a manifestation of ongoing infighting among top government officials, as the DSS “has not mentioned anything as such, in either the search warrant they presented to him or other documents on the case.”
Senior government officials and other individuals close to the president are said have been angered by what they called “shabby and disgraceful treatment meted out to Umar for no just cause and allegations that cannot be proven.”
A delegation of five governors, led by Kaduna’s Malam Nasiru el-Rufai, was said to have met President Buhari on Thursday to protest the travails of the retired military officer and the implications of the power play on the government.
Umar, who is said to be “a legitimately wealthy person” even while in service, was said to have been nicknamed “businessman” while in the Air Force because of his huge investments in aviation and the oil sector.
“The $1.5 million (it is actually $1.3 million) they discovered in his house was nothing for a man that has several aircrafts in his fleet. In fact, that money was paid to him for a shuttle of his cargo aircraft from Nairobi to Houston. He needed cash and asked this MD to take the money to him and they have all documents for that.”
Another source close to the arms probe panel disclosed that the arrest of Umar was “part of a sinister ploy to get at the committee and rubbish all that we have done. And the Air Commodore, being a key member of the committee, knows too much and has a lot of documents that aid our works. That is why some are jittery.”
It was gathered that Umar was instrumental to the early success of the committee as he was said to have used his personal money to hire foreign experts on forensics and arms procurement to help the committee in unearthing alleged frauds committed over the years.
Disturbed by the development, Chairman of the probe panel, AVM John Ode, our reporter gathered, met with the President on Friday to express the panel’s displeasure of the panel’s members over what they called unfair treatment of Umar, and its likely consequence on the ongoing probe of the arms deal.
“You know these people have presented their report on Air Force on the basis of which Badeh and other Air Force chiefs are now under trial. They were preparing to submit that of the Army this week, which has indicted many people, some top officials of this government and some people don’t want that to happen,” added a source close to the committee.
However, in contradiction, the First Information Report, alleged possessions of firearms “without valid license” and money laundering.
According to the FIR, DSS operatives had obtained from his house “large amount of money in local and foreign currencies suggestive of the fact that he received the said monies in contravention of the Money Laundering Act”.
“These allegations are like wild goose chase. One, how can a person with unblemished military career like General Umar and who is close to the president, will be accused of terrorism financing? Which terrorists? And because that cannot fly, they changed the music.
“The two pump action guns they picked from his house were registered when he procured them in the year 2000.
“The license is there. And how can you say someone who has business interests all over the world cannot be found in possession of foreign currencies?
“General Umar travels widely. He is friend of several heads of governments across the world and his two companies, EasyJet and African Energy have business interests the world over.
“And the cars that they found there are vehicles that he bought over the years; some ten some, some eight, some five years,” a source said.
Our findings further revealed that “the matter has become a source of embarrassment to the Presidency. In fact, the DSS hierarchy is in dilemma over the case because of the heat it generated and inability of operatives to unearth indicting evidences against Umar on the fronting allegations.”
Efforts to get the DSS’ side of the story really proved abortive as the agency, till date has not named a spokesman since the exit of Marylin Ogar.
