Alleged $1bn Missing Arms Fund: Northern Professionals Seek Monguno’s Resignation

 

Following allegations on the missing or misappropriation of one billion naira arms fund by immediate past service chiefs, members of Northern Nigerian Professionals Forum (NONIP) after their emergency national executive session held in Kaduna, have asked the National Security Adviser (NSA), Babagana Monguno to apologise to Nigerians or better still resign honourably.

According to the professionals, “Our stand on the utterances of National Security Adviser to President on the alleged misplacement and controversial supply of $1billion scandal of arms by the past Service Chiefs is totally condemnable and unfortunate.”

The statement signed by the zonal publicity secretary, Dr Adamu Aliyu Babba described his comments as unprofessional, lacking clear leadership openness, responsibility and decorum.

“The NSA must accept his failure and lack of openness to other stakeholders in bringing result out of the constant challenges of insecurity that is bedeviling every section of our country, with northern Nigeria suffering most.

“As a professional body, we see such BBC Hausa interview in the first place as uncalled for, very harmful on the success of the operation against terror, banditry and insecurity across the country; the interview has exposed the weakness of our country’s intelligence gathering and sharing under his office.

“We observed that, the interview has not only damaged our spirit of encouragement but made to understand, there were reported escalation of attacks and kidnapping across the North which may be translated as to ardently affect motivational and encouragement of many of our soldiers in the field of battle.

“However, we urged the NSA to urgently come out and seek forgiveness and apologise to Nigerians; then open a corridor of synergy by seeking authentic intelligence from other stakeholders that include affected governors of such troubled states; traditional and community leaders who have a clear first hand background information than all those feeding him with different views on the continued challenges facing the North.

“It is better than proportioning blames or accusations against particular individuals seen as adversaries. Such action will surely, by now, douse the hitherto tension generated as result of alleged views aired that are so harmful and capable of creating misunderstanding, disrepute against the personality of the past Service Chiefs, their families and dangerous to the success of other security operations across our nation.

“We read with surprise that he was misquoted which to us, is weak and unreasonable because at first, nobody forced him to grant such interviews, without clarification or taking into cognizance of his position as a keeper of Nigerian security apparatus and coordinating head.”

The Northern professionals called on President Muhammadu Buhari “to declare that our nation is in total war with Boko Haram, bandits and kidnappers in order to put all the necessary apparatus of our security and attention to such challenges; we need to remind Mr. President that, securing lives and properties of people is much more important than commiserating or sympathy visits to victims of the families.

“Every region of the country has a major peculiar challenge of insecurity bedeviling its people, nowhere is safe and our stand to unite with the Federal government, security agencies is the only solution to bring an end to such challenges.”