Former Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai, has faulted the media for what he described as inadequate scrutiny of the Ministry of Defence over the controversy surrounding the $1 billion approved for defence procurement during the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari.
Buratai said the funds, approved by the National Economic Council (NEC), were released to the Ministry of Defence and did not pass through him or the accounts of the Nigerian Army, Navy or Air Force.
He made the remarks on Monday in Abuja while speaking at a conference organised by the Defence Correspondents Association of Nigeria.
The former army chief described allegations linking him to the alleged diversion of the funds as politically motivated and malicious, insisting that the military service branches did not directly receive the money for procurement.
According to him, the controversy first emerged during the 2019 general election period when opposition figures alleged that the funds had been diverted for electoral purposes.
Buratai maintained that the Ministry of Defence handled the entire procurement process, arguing that public attention should focus on the institution responsible for managing the funds.
He also questioned why the ministry, under the previous administration, had not adequately clarified how the money was utilised, saying the allegations had continued to affect his reputation despite his position that the funds never passed through his hands.
The former chief of army staff, who was appointed by Buhari on July 16, 2015, and left office on January 28, 2021, insisted that he should not be held responsible for the management of funds that were not handled by the Nigerian Army.
However, the controversy has attracted differing explanations over the years.
In 2019, Akelicious reported that the Presidency had said the $1 billion withdrawn from the Excess Crude Account for security purposes was domiciled at the Central Bank of Nigeria rather than released directly to the Ministry of Defence.
Garba Shehu, who was then Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, said part of the money was used to purchase 12 fighter aircraft for the Nigerian Air Force, while other military equipment was procured for the Army and Navy.
