EFCC docks ex-NAF chief today

Former Chief of Air Staff, Mohammed Umar, will, today, appear before Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court, Abuja, to answer questions on how he used the funds belonging to the Nigerian Air Force between 2010 and 2012.

Umar’s name was among the 14 top military officers submitted to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, for investigation by the Special Presidential Panel set up by President Muhammadu Buhari to review arms procurement by the three tiers of the Nigerian Armed Forces between 2007 and 2015. Although the panel submitted that $2 billion and another N29 billion was used for arms procurement by NAF within the period under review, no specific amount has been attributed to Umar. However, EFCC, which investigated allegations of funds diversion, believes he has a case to answer and has already lined up witnesses. The arraignment, according to EFCC, follows the conclusion of months of investigation and establishment of sufficient evidence. that Umar breached public trust by diverting public funds meant for the procurement of vital equipment for the Nigerian Air Force. Within the eight-year period, the immediate past Chief of Defence Staff, Alex Badeh and Adesola Amosu also held sway as CAS. But a confident Umar believes he has no skeleton his cupboard, having used available NAF resources judiciously during his two-year tenure.