$2.1bn Arms Deal: Buhari plans to arrest Jonathan - CDD

The Committee for the Defence of Democracy (CDD) has claimed that President Muhammadu Buhari plans to arrest former President Goodluck Jonathan over allegations surrounding the purported $2.1 million arms deal.

The CDD in a statement by its Publicity Secretary, Comrade Akindele Lawson, described this latest move by the APC government as the height of the series of blame that the new administration has continued to put on the last administration.

“It is already eight months in the life of the Buhari government and all we have continued to hear is that our problems were caused by the last administration, without anything pointing towards a rescue plan by this government,” the statement reads.

The group called on Buhari to focus more on what he can deliver rather on the past an indication that he lacks the ability to steer the ship of state.

According to the group, it was wrong for anybody to claim that ammunition and military hardware were not bought for the Nigerian Armed Forces during President Jonathan’s administration, as it asserted that the current probe is nothing, other than the probe of the campaign funding of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, which is just being sensationalized by the APC government.

“It is on record that despite the difficulties that the Jonathan administration faced in procuring arms from some western nations over alleged human rights issues, he still managed to source sizable quantities of platforms, weapons, bullets and other ammunition for the Nigerian Army, Navy and Air Force, which were used to tackle insurgency to a near end before the end of his administration.”

“There is no doubt that the purchase of massive arms and ammunition in the last one year of the Jonathan government made it possible for the military to root out Boko Haram terrorists from all parts of Yobe and Adamawa States, leaving only about three local government areas in Borno State, partially under the control of the insurgents, as at May 2015,” the statement further said.

The group, therefore, challenged the Buhari’s administration to deny the fact that the Nigerian military was still using the arms and ammunition procured by Jonathan to fight in those problem areas, insisting that Buhari’s government has not bought any new arms till date.