Again, S’Africa seizes $5.7m arms cash from Nigeria

Arms and ammunitions The Asset Forfeiture Unit of the National Prosecuting Authority has seized $5.7m (R64m) for yet another arms deal between South Africa and Nigeria. This is the second multimillion-rand arms deal between the two countries in the past month that has resulted in the money being frozen in South African banks. Last month, R103m in $100 bills stashed in suitcases was seized at Lanseria Airport, north of Joburg. The money was frozen in both cases for allegedly being the proceeds of illegal transactions. City Press’ sister paper Rapport has learnt that the department for offences against the state in the Special Investigating Unit is also involved. Documents in the newspaper’s possession show that the earlier consignment was approved by the Nigerian government – that country’s national security adviser personally issued the end-user certificate for the transaction. An entire “shopping list” was supplied with the certificate, which included everything from helicopters to unmanned aircraft, rockets and ammunition. Sources close to the investigation said the latest transaction was between Cerberus Risk Solutions, an arms broker in Cape Town, and Societe D’Equipments Internationaux, a Nigerian company in Abuja. An impeccable source said this company paid the R60m into Cerberus’ account at Standard Bank. Cerberus was previously registered as a broker with the National Conventional Arms Control Committee, but the registration expired in May this year. 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. Sources told Rapport that Cerberus apparently tried to pay the money back to the Nigerian company, after which the bank became suspicious. The NPA’s Asset Forfeiture Unit subsequently obtained a court order in the South Gauteng High Court to seize the money. Cerberus’ attorney, Martin Hood, this week declined to comment on the matter. NPA spokesperson 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. 12 convicted soldiers don’t deserve to die Convicted Soldiers. Convicted Soldiers. The 12 soldiers sentenced to death by the Nigerian Army on September 14, 2014 for their roles in an attack on the General Officer Commanding, Maj. Gen Ahmed Mohammed, do not deserve to die. Nigerians and other online readers believe that in a democratic dispensation, the Army should not bring back the sad memories of the dark periods of military rule. This is the outcome of a poll conducted by PUNCH ONLINE. The online poll, which opened on September 17, 2014 and ended on September 24, 2014, presented respondents with the question: ‘Do you think the Army is justified to have sentenced to death, soldiers, who attacked their GOC over poor welfare and inadequate weapons?’ One thousand and one respondents took part in the online poll, choosing either ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ in response to the poll question. Eight hundred and fifty nine respondents, representing 86 per cent, are of the opinion that the military’s position is not justified in sentencing the soldiers to death by firing squad. One hundred and forty two respondents, representing 14 per cent are of the view that the soldiers deserve to be killed. The soldiers had on May 14, 2014 attacked the GOC in Maiduguri, Borno State, protesting what they believed was his complicity in events that led to the killing of some of their senior colleagues, who died while returning from a battleground, after being ambushed by Boko Haram militants. The military, citing its codes, described the troops’ action as mutiny, a serious offence in the military. Eighteen soldiers were court martialled, out of which 12 were sentenced to death by firing squad, five were discharged and acquitted while the remaining one was jailed for 28 days with hard labour. The judgment by the President of the Court Martial, Maj. Gen. C.C. Okonkwo, has generated mixed feelings among the populace. Respondents, who voted ‘Yes’, must have hinged their response on the fact that mutiny anywhere in the world is a grave offence, and such mutineers fit to be killed, as their action is a violation of military etiquettes. On the other hand, respondents who voted ‘No’ might have aligned with the position of the Nigeria Labour Congress, which has called on the leadership of the Armed Forces to commute the death sentence on the soldiers to lighter sentences. Acting President of the NLC, Chief Promise Adewusi, said, “If the Court Martial functioned as a mechanical clock, we expect the Army Council or the appropriate authority, whose responsibility it is to review the sentences of this nature, to commute this sentence to a more tolerable or acceptable one. “Our appeal is hinged on the fact that the brutal execution of the twelve will not restore discipline by fiat. “Rather, it could sow the seed of a major security problem in the Armed Forces since the problem of corruption, poor kitting, equipping and treachery are said to be common to virtually all the military units or formations in the conflict area. “In the light of the foregoing, we are urging the military authorities to commute the death sentence on the twelve to a lighter sentence.”