A chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and close associate of President Muhammadu Buhari, Lawal Jafaru Isa, is currently in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for allegedly being a beneficiary of the $2.1 billion arms deal.
But an aide to the President, who asked for anonymity, assured that Buhari will not intervene in the investigations.
Isa, a former military governor of Kaduna State, is the first chieftain of the ruling APC to be arrested; other prominent Nigerians who had either been named or arrested over the arms deal so far, all belong to the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Isa was the military administrator of Kaduna State from December 1993 to August 1996 during General Sani Abacha’s regime. He was also a member of the 19-man APC Transition Committee put in place to usher in the APC-led Federal government after the defeat of the PDP.
He was a governorship candidate of the defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) in Kano State in 2011 and, until he was dropped at the eleventh hour, he was said to be on the President’s ministerial list.
According to a security source, Isa’s problem began when Col Sambo Dasuki sent him N100 million to bring him to the camp of former president Goodluck Jonathan during the last general elections.
Both Isa and Dasuki are believed to be close allies and the former was said to have used a security aide to Abacha, Hamza Al-Mustapha, as the link.
The EFCC operatives stormed his Abuja residence at Ajayi Crowther Street, Asokoro, about 9pm Wednesday after he failed to honour an invitation sent to him.
“Due to his closeness to President Buhari and for being a highly respected citizen of the country, the Commission invited him to answer a few questions over N100 million he allegedly received from Dasuki through a third party; but he refused to honour it and the Commission had no choice but to effect his arrest,” our source disclosed.
With his arrest, the EFCC might have unconsciously answered its critics who accuse it of being selective in the prosecution of the anti-graft war.
President Buhari had, during his visit to America, told the world that he would not be selective in the war against corruption under his watch.
Arms deal: Buhari won’t interfere in Jafaru Isah’s case — Presidency
The Presidency said, last night, that it would not interfere in the arrest and probe of Jafaru Isah, a close associate of President Muhammadu Buhari, by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission over alleged involvement in the arms dead scandal.
Isa is the first chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to be arrested by the EFCC since the beginning of a sweeping probe into the alleged diversion of $2.1 billion meant for arms purchase by officials of the immediate-past administration.
An aide of the President said in confidence that although Jafaru Isah was a close political ally to President Buhari, the first citizen would remain neutral in the matter, in line with his avowed position to deal decisively with corruption.
While describing Isah as a political ally, who had been with Buhari from the days of the defunct All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) to the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), the aide made it clear that the long relationship did not in any way suggest that Buhari was associated with the alleged collection of N100 million from the Office of the National Adviser (ONSA) by the embattled politician.
The aide said: “It is true that Isah has been with Buhari from the days of the ANPP and CPC and was equally a member of the Transition Committee and actually headed the Defence Committee.
“That does not mean that Buhari knows anything about the N100 million said to have been collected by the man from the ONSA.”
Jafaru is also described as a close friend of the embattled ex-NSA, Dasuki, who is facing multiple charges over alleged money laundering and breach of public trust in three courts.
It could not be established last night whether Jafaru was given the N100m by Dasuki for some contracts or because of his closeness to the former NSA or both.
Jafaru is said to have resorted to writing a letter to the commission asking for more time to attend to a family burial instead of reporting to the EFCC.
Rather than honouring the invitation, sources said he wrote a letter to the EFCC through his lawyer, seeking a postponement of his appearance date on the grounds of death of a relative.
Metuh spends 3rd night in EFCC cell
Meanwhile, there was no word on how soon the National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Chief Olisa Metuh, would be released.
Checks last night revealed that the EFCC, which arrested Metuh on Tuesday, was not in a hurry to free him. A source in the commission confirmed that Metuh was still being questioned by its operatives.
-Vanguard
