President
Muhammadu Buhari ordered the arrest of a key member of the panel
investigating the mismanagement of public funds meant for the war
against Boko Haram after receiving damning reports that he was involved
in alleged money laundering and illegal possession of firearms, reliable
security and presidency sources have said.
Despite being his close ally and
loyalist, Mr. Buhari okayed the arrest of Mohammed Umar, after perusing
reports alleging that the retired Air Force officer ran a blackmailing
and extortion cartel, officials said.
Mr. Umar was arrested last week as operatives of the State Security Service (SSS) raided his Abuja home.
Those familiar with the matter said
before moving against the retired officer, the Director General of the
SSS, Lawal Daura, met with Mr. Buhari where he tabled reports suggesting
that the panel member had been busy using the name of the president and
other top officials of the administration to intimidate, extort and
blackmail individuals and businesses.
“The president became worried and
jittery when he was confronted with the way a man he trusted had been
behaving,” a presidency source said. “So he ordered that he should be
picked up while the allegations against him are thoroughly
investigated.”
Security sources told this newspaper
that documents seized from Mr. Umar’s residence during a raid on June 19
included classified documents from the president’s office, details of
government transactions from the Central Bank of Nigeria, and details of
bank transactions belonging to the Office of the National Security
Adviser.
A document containing details of
disbursements made to the Nigerian armed forces and security agencies
was also recovered during the raid.
Mr. Umar retired as an air commodore in
the Nigerian Air Force in January 2014. While in service, he headed the
Air Force’s Holding Company as well as the Air Force Properties Limited.
Credit: PremiumTimes
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