S/Africa seizes more Nigerian arms cash

South African authorities have seized $5.7 million moved from Nigeria for yet another arms deal, a report said yesterday, a month after two Nigerians and an Israeli attempted to smuggle in $9.3 million cash.The South African City Press newspaper, which reported the latest incident, said the money was paid into a bank account but later […]

South African authorities have seized $5.7 million moved from Nigeria for yet another arms deal, a report said yesterday, a month after two Nigerians and an Israeli attempted to smuggle in $9.3 million cash.
The South African City Press newspaper, which reported the latest incident, said the money was paid into a bank account but later frozen for allegedly being proceeds of an illegal transaction. No specific date was given as to when this happened.
But in a reaction last night, the Office of the National Security Adviser said the money involved was for a legitimate business transaction, and urged the South African authorities to “reciprocate” Nigeria’s gesture of allowing unhindered businesses by its companies.
The City Press newspaper first reported the September 5 seizure of $9.3 million cash (equivalent N1.5 billion) aboard a private jet at an airport near Johannesburg, meant to buy weapons.
It later turned out that the jet belonged to Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN). He has denied any links with the money or the arms deal, having already leased the jet to another company.
In yesterday’s report, City Press said the South African Asset Forfeiture Unit of the National Prosecuting Authority has seized another $5.7 million which was also for weapons purchase.
It said the transaction was between South African arms broker Cerberus Risk Solutions, and a Nigerian company, Societe D’Equipments Internationaux. Societe paid about N876 million into Cerberus’ account at Standard Bank.
“Cerberus was previously registered as a broker with the National Conventional Arms Control Committee (NCACC), but the registration expired in May this year,” the report said.
“The marketing and contracting permits also expired at the same time. The company has since applied for re-registration, but the application lay in the NCACC’s mailbox for more than two months.”
According to the report, the South African arms broker apparently tried to pay the money back to the Nigerian company, after which the bank became suspicious. The South African Asset Forfeiture Unit subsequently obtained a court order to seize the money.
‘Legitimate deal’
In a reaction last night, spokesman of National Security Adviser Col. Sambo Dasuki, Mr Karounwi Adekunle, said in a statement: “We want to state clearly that a business transaction actually took place between a legitimate company in Nigeria and another legitimate one in South Africa through the bank.
“In the course of events, the South African company could not perform and decided to refund the money. What is illegimate in this transaction done through the bank?
“Nigeria provides the enabling environment for South African companies like MTN, DSTV and a host of others to do business unhindered. It is our hope that South Africa would reciprocate this noble gesture.
“There is no alternative, we must win the war against insurgency, irrespective of the demeaning activities of fifth columnists.”
City Press newspaper said also that documents in its possession show that the Nigerian National Security Adviser “personally issued the end-user certificate” for the earlier arms deal involving $9.3 million cash.
“An entire ‘shopping list’ was supplied with the certificate, which included everything from helicopters to unmanned aircraft, rockets and ammunition,” it said.
The money was frozen in both cases for allegedly being the proceeds of illegal transactions.
A spokesperson for the South African National Prosecuting Authority, Nathi Mncube, said there were no indications that the two transactions were related.
“However, both are now the subject of a criminal investigation and all possible information and connections are being investigated,” said Mncube.
‘FG vindicated’
In another reaction to yesterday’s report, PRNigeria – which has strong links to and does communication consultancy for the Nigerian security agencies – said the City Press story confirmed the “legitimacy of the botched arms deals between Nigeria and the former apartheid enclave.”
In the wake of the earlier seizure of $9.3 million, PRNigeria had quoted a security source as saying the money was for a legitimate government transaction to buy weapons.
In a statement emailed to Daily Trust yesterday, the agency said yesterday’s report “appeared to finally vindicate Federal Government’s official position that the transactions were legitimate as they confirmed that contrary to insinuations, end user certificates and a ‘shopping’ list accompanied the transactions as well as a note from Nigerian government authenticating the deals.”
It quoted a security intelligence source as saying that “in issuing end-user certificate, the ONSA ensures that it carries all relevant agencies and stakeholders along. Therefore, such a responsibility is not a unilateral development.”
PRNigeria further said, “The government and some top intelligence officers in Nigeria are concerned about how some officials of South Africa decided to frustrate the efforts of Nigeria at containing the activities of terrorists operating in the North-Eastern axis especially since authoritative sources confirmed that there were official communications at the top level of the two governments.
“Some diplomats in Nigeria are also concerned that despite the leeway given to South African companies to thrive in Nigeria, there are still officials of the country who are determined to frustrate Nigeria, which in April this year overtook South Africa as Africa’s largest economy.”