Monguno, Kyari war rages on as new leak again indicts Buhari’s chief of staff

After a first memo revealing how presidential CoS Abba Kyari took over as Nigeria’s commander-in-chief, NSA Babagana Monguno fired off another memo last year, indicting Kyari of sidestepping President Muhammadu Buhari, the NSA office, and defence ministry in an arms deal.

International Golden Group, a Dubai-based defence and security dealer, was the firm agreed between Buhari and the UAE Crown Prince in 2016, according to the second memo.

Both memos have been leaked—in quick succession.

In the December 9, 2019 letter addressed to the police affairs minister and police inspector-general, Monguno described Kyari’s action as “reckless and irresponsible”, and capable of ridiculing Nigeria as an unserious nation before a reliable international partner.

He also stated in the letter that Kyari has been getting away with disregarding presidential orders to impose his own decisions.

According to the NSA, only his office and the defence minister’s have constitutional roles to act on security matters.

He beneficiary of the arms deal was the Nigeria police, the reason the IGP and the police commission were addressed in the memo.

Insecurity in Nigeria has been generating distrust between the administration and citizens who are protesting the ineffectiveness of the nation’s service chiefs.

Monguno, in the first memo, accused Kyari of ordering the service chiefs around without Buhari’s consent.

The NSA cautioned such disruption of military order is telling negatively on the counter-insurgency war in the northeast.