Army Chief Admits Nigeria Facing Security Crisis

With the insecurity woes in the country showing no sign of
abating, the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt-Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru,
has admitted that the country was in crisis.

Attahiru who was represented by the Commandant of Army War
College, Major-Gen. Charles Ofoche, stated this yesterday when he
appeared before the House of Representatives Ad hoc Committee
investigating procurement of arms and ammunition used in
prosecuting the war against insurgents and other security
challenges in the last 10 years.

The Ad hoc Committee was constituted following a motion on the
floor of the House on the need to review the purchase, use and
control of arms, ammunition and related hardware by military,
paramilitary and other law enforcement agencies in Nigeria.

Ofoche stated: “The country is embroiled in a lot of crisis…We
are at your service, we are here to serve you as a people, to serve
all Nigerians and we cannot pretend that we do not know there is
crisis all over the country.
“The Chief of Army Staff cannot afford to be at every location at
the same time. He is on the way trying to get to know his men, he
took over barely a week ago, he is going around trying to get
first-hand information as to the capability of the fighting force
he is leading.”

Earlier, the members of the committee were furious that the COAS
did not honour the committee’s invitation but only sent
representatives.
Speaking, a member of the committee, Hon. Kabiru Idris, said it was
important for both sides that the committee was set up.

According to him, “from our side as legislators, it is for us to
investigate basically what we are here for today and based on the
Public Procurement Act, when we are talking process or Procurement
Act, we are talking about the accounting officer.

“If you look at Section 21 of the Act as amended, it is clearly
spelt out that the person in question or the person who was invited
to appear before us is the COAS who is the accounting officer of
that organisation and we expect a written a document like you just
mentioned because the chairman sent a letter signed,” Idris
said.

He added that for any reason that the COAS may not be able to
appear before the committee, Section 21 of Public Procurement Act
stipulates that a written communication should be made to the
chairman, and in which there was none.
On his part, on. Ibrahim Al-Mustapha, said the accounting officer
of the Army should have appeared before the committee to give his
account as far as the communications made to him was concerned.

He noted: “For the chairman and Secretariat, there is no
communication before us that the COAS is having another schedule
that may not allow him to be physically present here. That is a
contravention to Section 88, Section 89 sub-section 1, and of
course section one of the Armed Forces Act 1994.

“So, we are not witch-hunting but telling you what the law says.
So as far we are we concerned there is no how we can entertain you
because basically we are detailed not to be friendly but to work to
find faults.

“You can bear witness to the fact that Nigeria is embroiled in
serious security issues and year in year out appropriations were
made and huge sums expended on procurement of arms and ammunition
and yet in the whole of the arrests made, you find these arms and
ammunition with some of these bandits and miscreants. Some of them
can be traced back to the very military or police. It is serious
issue and the National Assembly is well positioned to dig deep into
the root of this issue and find solution.”

“As moved by my colleague there is need for a motion to allow
the COAS come and make his submissions personally to this
committee.”

Also, Hon. Bede Eke, said there was need for the representative
of the COAS to know that the investigation was a very serious
matter.

He said the committee would not entertain any representatives
from anybody because of the importance of the matter.

However, after the plea by the representatives of the COAS, the
meeting was later held behind closed doors, while the journalists
covering the event were asked to leave.

With the insecurity woes in the country showing no sign of
abating, the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt-Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru,
has admitted that the country was in crisis.

Attahiru who was represented by the Commandant of Army War
College, Major-Gen. Charles Ofoche, stated this yesterday when he
appeared before the House of Representatives Ad hoc Committee
investigating procurement of arms and ammunition used in
prosecuting the war against insurgents and other security
challenges in the last 10 years.

The Ad hoc Committee was constituted following a motion on the
floor of the House on the need to review the purchase, use and
control of arms, ammunition and related hardware by military,
paramilitary and other law enforcement agencies in Nigeria.

Ofoche stated: “The country is embroiled in a lot of crisis…We
are at your service, we are here to serve you as a people, to serve
all Nigerians and we cannot pretend that we do not know there is
crisis all over the country.
“The Chief of Army Staff cannot afford to be at every location at
the same time. He is on the way trying to get to know his men, he
took over barely a week ago, he is going around trying to get
first-hand information as to the capability of the fighting force
he is leading.”

Earlier, the members of the committee were furious that the COAS
did not honour the committee’s invitation but only sent
representatives.
Speaking, a member of the committee, Hon. Kabiru Idris, said it was
important for both sides that the committee was set up.

According to him, “from our side as legislators, it is for us to
investigate basically what we are here for today and based on the
Public Procurement Act, when we are talking process or Procurement
Act, we are talking about the accounting officer.

“If you look at Section 21 of the Act as amended, it is clearly
spelt out that the person in question or the person who was invited
to appear before us is the COAS who is the accounting officer of
that organisation and we expect a written a document like you just
mentioned because the chairman sent a letter signed,” Idris
said.

He added that for any reason that the COAS may not be able to
appear before the committee, Section 21 of Public Procurement Act
stipulates that a written communication should be made to the
chairman, and in which there was none.
On his part, on. Ibrahim Al-Mustapha, said the accounting officer
of the Army should have appeared before the committee to give his
account as far as the communications made to him was concerned.

He noted: “For the chairman and Secretariat, there is no
communication before us that the COAS is having another schedule
that may not allow him to be physically present here. That is a
contravention to Section 88, Section 89 sub-section 1, and of
course section one of the Armed Forces Act 1994.

“So, we are not witch-hunting but telling you what the law says.
So as far we are we concerned there is no how we can entertain you
because basically we are detailed not to be friendly but to work to
find faults.

“You can bear witness to the fact that Nigeria is embroiled in
serious security issues and year in year out appropriations were
made and huge sums expended on procurement of arms and ammunition
and yet in the whole of the arrests made, you find these arms and
ammunition with some of these bandits and miscreants. Some of them
can be traced back to the very military or police. It is serious
issue and the National Assembly is well positioned to dig deep into
the root of this issue and find solution.”

“As moved by my colleague there is need for a motion to allow
the COAS come and make his submissions personally to this
committee.”

Also, Hon. Bede Eke, said there was need for the representative
of the COAS to know that the investigation was a very serious
matter.

He said the committee would not entertain any representatives
from anybody because of the importance of the matter.

However, after the plea by the representatives of the COAS, the
meeting was later held behind closed doors, while the journalists
covering the event were asked to leave.