Eniola Akinkuotu, Abuja
A former Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Azubuike Ihejirika (retd.), was on Wednesday interrogated for about seven hours by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission for his alleged role in the $2.1bn arms scam.
According to the EFCC, Ihejirika was invited to explain the procurement of arms and ammunition during the time he held sway as COAS between September 2010 and January 2014.
It was learnt that Ihejirika arrived at the EFCC office in Abuja around 11am and was still in custody around 7pm.
A highly placed official at the EFCC said, “Ihejirika honoured our invitation on Wednesday. He arrived around 11am and answered several questions.
“He will be released on administrative bail as soon as preliminary interrogations are over, as he has also requested to go back and gather more information, expressing unawareness as regards various documents and questions put to him by investigators.”
The retired general and his successor, Lt. Gen. Kenneth Minimah (retd.), as well as retired air force and navy chiefs had been indicted by the Committee on Audit of Defence Equipment Procurement in 2015.
While the retired air force chiefs – Air Marshal Mohammed Umar (retd.), Air Chief Marsha Alex Badeh (retd.); and Air Marshal Adesola Amosu (retd.) – are all facing trial in several courts, no former army chief has been arraigned by the EFCC.
The EFCC had already seized properties including hotels worth over N1.2bn from Ihejirika in 2016.
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