Arms Deal: EFCC Speaks On Why Buhari’s Ally, Lawal Jafaru Isa Was Arrested

On Wednesday night, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) arrested a former military governor of Kaduna State and chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Lawal Jafaru Isa. Mr. Isa is the first chieftain of the APC 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.

Mr. Isa, Military Administrator of Kaduna State from December 1993 to August 1996 during the military regime of General Sani Abacha and one-time governorship candidate of the defunct CPC in Kano State, is a close friend of the embattled former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki.

However, the anti-graft agency, EFCC has responded to wide media claims of the arrest of a close associate of the president implicated in the ongoing arms deal probe.

According to Premium Times, Isa, a retired brigadier general, was invited last week to appear before the commission on Wednesday (yesterday) to clear the air on “some questionable receipts” from the former NSA.

Rather than honouring the invitation, sources said, Mr. Isa wrote a letter to the EFCC through his lawyer, seeking a postponement of his appearance date on the grounds of death of a relative.

A top EFCC who spoke to newsmen said Isa had to be arrested because, ”He has been wasting our time, and we just have to pick him up for our investigation to continue”.

– Premium Times