EFCC questions Nigeria’s former Army Chief Ihejirika over involvement in Dasukigate

Retired lieutenant-general of the Nigerian Army, Mr Ihejirika arrived at the EFCC headquarters in Abuja around 11:00 a.m. Wednesday Feb. 21, and was subsequently ushered into an interrogation room.

The 62 year old led the Nigerian Army from September 2010 to January 2014 when he was dropped by President Goodluck Jonathan over his handling of the Boko Haram war.

His visit to the EFCC comes about 20 months after President Muhammadu Buhari said Mr. Ihejirika and others should be prosecuted after they were indicted by a panel of inquiry that probed the arms scandal, now widely dubbed the Dasukigate.

“He is being questioned as related to the procurement of arms and ammunition during the time he held sway as Chief of Army Staff. He will be released on administrative bail as soon as preliminary interrogations are over” an EFFC official told PREMIUM TIMES under strict anonymity.

Ihejirika said he didn’t immediately have answers to some of the questions thrown at him and sought the permission of his interrogators to go back home and retrieve more details relating to the arms purchase affairs. The arms panel suspected Mr. Ihejirika of using family members and fronts to procure arms contract.

He  was eventually released on administrative bail on Wednesday night. He was asked to return on Thursday.