*All found culpable will be sanctioned – President
*Why stakeholders advise against divulging State, National secrets over possible by prosecution of ex-heads of DSS, NIA
By Kemi Kasumu, General Editor
They, especially those speaking on the area of National Intelligence Agency (NIA), argued further that making – for instance former Director General of NIA, Ayodele Oke – to speak in court over the Osbornegate would be tantamount to putting Nigeria in a bad shape in the eyes of the world, as they all agreed on the fact that, “Any nation in the world which knows that intelligence shared with Nigeria is not safe can never continue to trust the country along that line and that will put us as a nation and people in a very bad situation of diplomatic endangerment in terms of international security as it affects our nation.”
President Muhammadu Buhari, early this week, said in Abuja that all those found culpable in the Osborne Towers scandal would be made to account and appropriately sanctioned.
Reacting to this bold statement coming from the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Republic, many Nigerians have expressed satisfaction that they were not disappointed at the end of the whole scenario and have therefore ventilated resolve on quick adjustment from their earlier criticisms where they claimed that altercations between the Department of State Security Service (DSS) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) was as a result of effort by the Buhari Administration to sweep high class corruption perpetrated in the state and national security departments under carpets, Osbornegate inclusive.
Stakeholders in the security and intelligence community have also had their own time explaining why they do not subscribe to prosecution of the ex-heads of DSS and NIA in the manner the EFCC was going to do.
They argued that the attempt by the Ibrahim Mustapha Magu-led Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to take some ex-heads of state and national security services to account as to how they spent or got what in the money at their respective disposals was an effort in futility as, according to them, such attempt would not only make the anti-graft czar bite his own finger but, largely, that there was no way such ex-heads of security and intelligence agencies would want to divulge the information that EFCC wants to prosecute them over that they would not be divulging the secret of the nation, being that they were respectively at their times custodians of national secrets, be it with regards to security within and securing in collaborations with other security and intelligence agencies globally.
They, especially those speaking on the area of National Intelligence Agency (NIA), argued further that making – for instance former Director General of NIA, Ayodele Oke – to speak in court over the Osbornegate would be tantamount to putting Nigeria in a bad shape in the eyes of the world, as they all agreed on the fact that, “Any nation in the world which knows that intelligence shared with Nigeria is not safe can never continue to trust the country along that line and that will put us as a nation and people in a very bad situation of diplomatic endangerment in terms of international security as it affects our nation.”
One of them pointed out, “Do not forget that even the defeat, the apparent and complete decimation of Boko Haram in the North East and neutralization of IPOB and other pro-Biafra terrorist groups in the South East and militants in the South South had not happened without strong effort of intelligence in collaboration with foreign security and intelligence organizations. How do you expect those international bodies, especially those of them who compromised personal joy to share such rare intelligence that led to the successes that the present Federal Government has achieved in the security of state, within and internationally, to feel safe with us, if they begin to hear and see how the intelligence they shared and that had helped the Buhari government to emerge tall in ensuring security and safety of the country and the country people, is being divulged?”
Those stakeholders, when asked if it was not attempt to say the ex-DG DSS Ita Ekpeyong and ex-DG NIA Ayodele Oke fired from service over the Osbornegate were not above the law and so could not be prosecuted, however clarified their position.
One of them, who like the entire stakeholders would not like to be mentioned due to the sensitive and political implications of the issue at stake, said, “The point, I must say, that we are making is from the stamp point of all that have been stated regarding the security of State from within and international scenes. It is not about trying to cover up. It is also not trying to say that those retired security and intelligence chiefs are above the law. They are definitely not above the law because nobody is above the law. Not even the President and Commander-in-Chief is above the law and we have seen that good example in President Muhammadu Buhari.
“But are saying that if anybody, who has been in such office, is now discovered to have perpetrated one corrupt act or the other, just like I must say that there is no law which gives him immunity against prosecution, I must also state clearly here that laws do exist, which put the questioning of that head of security and intelligence office, serving or retired, between him and the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Don’t forget that President Buhari himself is an intelligence officer as retired General, who is a war veteran and former Military Head of State. It makes us safer this way as a nation and a as a people than when such allegedly corrupt security chief is brought in an open court to say this is what and how certain security votes are expended. It is not done. And, insisting on their doing that without considering the implications on national security is the reason for the altercations that you seem to be seeing happen between the EFCC and the DSS. That is the point we are making,” he said.
In order to allay the fears and frustrations of members of the public over the allegations of corruption in such sensitive offices, as it appears, the man that is the only officer with full capacity to check and question such security and intelligence ex-DGs, President Muhammadu Buhari, on Tuesday December 19 made a bold statement over the issue saying that no matter who an officer in that security intelligence axis particularly as regards the Osbornegate is, he (such officer) would not be too big for him (the President) to deal with but that, in dealing with him, it would not be done in manner which jeopardizes national security.
The cheering and settling position of the President over the matters was contained in a statement issued in Abuja on Tuesday by Special Adviser to the Nigerian President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, copy of which was sent to The DEFENDER.
This statement has, to a great extent, settled the minds of many critics, who had expressed discomfort over the manner by which EFCC was blocked from arresting the ex-DG DSS Ita Ekpeyong and the political handling of the Osbornegate whereby the anti-graft agency appeared to be preparing Ayodele Oke for court for his prosecution to take off over the Ikoyi money he claimed belonged to NIA.
Receiving a report of the panel established to review the operational, technical and administrative structure of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), President Buhari, according to the Adesina’s statement, described the discovery of monies in the flat at Osborne Towers, Ikoyi, Lagos, in April this year, as an ‘‘unfortunate incident which rightly aroused public interest and outcry.’’
‘‘All the circumstances surrounding the obtaining, keeping custody and disbursement of the funds have been examined by the Vice President’s Committee and all those found to be culpable will be made to account and appropriately sanctioned.
‘‘However, it must be understood that this cannot be done in a manner that jeopardises national security or exposes the operations of any intelligence Agency, which must, by nature be conducted in secrecy.
‘‘Suffice it for me to assure all that justice will be done consistent with our anti-corruption policies,’’ the President said.
President Buhari, while commending the Presidential Review Panel on NIA led by Amb. Babagana Kingibe, former Minister of Foreign Affairs, for completing their assignment expeditiously, expressed the hope that the recommendations of the panel and that of an earlier Committee headed by the Vice President to look into the Osborne matter will assist Government in improving the operations of the NIA and the overall National Security architecture.
‘‘Your Panel’s recommendation, informed as they are by your collective experience and expertise in this field, should in particular help to reposition the NIA to better perform its vital functions with greater professionalism.
‘‘The Osborne Tower incident and its aftermath has also brought to the fore the need to review the entire National Security Architecture, which has now been in operation as established 31 years ago.
‘‘Once again, I thank you very much for undertaking this national assignment, ’’ he said.
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo was present at the presentation of the report by the panel which has Chief Albert Horsfall, Amb. Zakari Ibrahim and Amb. Ezekiel Oladeji, as members.
