EFCC holds onto Dokpesi, widens dragnet

Raymond Dokpesi, the latest of the four PDP stalwarts the Muhammadu Buhari administration has hounded into either the DSS or EFCC cage, is giving useful information about his role in the arms deal scam rocking the former NSA Sambo Dasuki since August.

Dokpesi explained to the EFCC officials that the N2.1 billion that he collected from the former NSA was payment for publicity and media political campaigns during the 2015 general elections, according to an official statement released by the Daar Group owned by Dokpesi on Tuesday.

The EFCC has been interrogating the media mogul since Tuesday over the N2.1 billion he allegedly received from the office of the NSA.

Analysts believe political campaigns shouldn’t have been bankrolled by the office of the NSA because it is the duty of the party.

An interim report released by a presidential committee investigating arms procurement in the last administration had revealed unofficial spending as high as N643.8 billion. Another tranche of $2.2 billion was also uncovered. The anti-graft body then set up a special panel to probe the outflows.

At the instance of the presidential committee, the DSS arrested the former NSA, and charged him with unlawful possession of arms, and acts capable of undermining national security.

Arrested along with Dasuki were the former governor of Sokoto, Attahiru Bafarawa, his son, and a former minister of state for finance, Bashir Yuguda—-all of whom had been indicted by the committee.

Dasuki, who had been under house arrest for about a month, may soon join Dokpesi in the EFCC hold. The agency, according to sources within the commission, has requested his transfer because he needs to answer some questions as the investigation continues.

Buhari has insisted in probing the deal because of the inability of the nation’s security agencies to tackle the six-month-old Boko Haram insurgency wreaking havoc in northern Nigeria, and some parts of the neighbouring Niger, Cameroon, and others.