Details of

the
Dasuki
Gates
Scandal

 Dasuki Gates is the term used to describe the scandal around the arms
procurement deal fraud in Nigeria that led to the embezzlement of around $2
billion from the office of the National Security Adviser (NSA), under the
leadership of Colonel Sambo Dasuki, the former NSA. This illegal deal came to
light as a result of an interim report made on arms procurement by the
presidential investigations committee under the Goodluck Jonathan
administration.
This committee reported that an extra-budgetary spending of almost around
N643.8 billion and an extra spending of around $2.2 billion was done in the
foreign currency component by the Good luck Jonathan administration. This
revelation led to the name of this now famous scandal as Dasuki Gates due to the
involvement of the former NSA, Sambo Dasuki. As per the preliminary
investigation, around $2 billion were likely to have been disbursed for the
procurement of arms for fighting the Islamic insurgents in Nigeria. But that a part
of this disbursed money was utilized for sponsoring the re-election of the former
President of Nigeria, Goodluck Jonathan.
At the centre of the Dasuki Gates is the retired colonel Sambo Dasuki, who was
Nigerias National Security Adviser in the immediate past. Once these reports
came out, Dasuki was arrested by the Department of State Services (DSS) on 1st
December, 2015 and handed over to the Economic and Financial Crimes (EFCC)
the next day.

 Apart from Colonel Dasuki, two other prominent leaders caught in the
middle of the Dasuki Gates are the former Chief of Defence Staff, Alex
Badeh, and Peoples Democratic Party spokesperson Olisa Metuh.
Their trial had been postponed and was to be conducted the same
day- March 24th, 2016. It will be presided over by Justice Okon Abang.
Alex Badeh has been accused of laundering a sum of almost N 3.9
billion, while the Metuh EFCC connection makes things worse for
Metuh, as he has been accused of laundering money to the tune of
N400 million by the Economic and Financial Crimes (EFCC).
Apart from the Dasuki Gates and Metuh-EFCC spat, there is another
player in the picture. Mr. Nicholas Ashinze, who is the former special
assistant to Sambo Dasuki, has sued the EFCC on the grounds of illegal
detention, and is asking for a compensation of N500 million.
Nicholas Ashinze was arrested on 23rd December, 2015 on the grounds
of his alleged involvement in the $2.1 billion arms deal fraud (now
known as Dasuki Gates)- something for which his boss Dasuki has also
been arrested for. However, Ashinze has not been formally charged in
court and is kept in the EFCC custody for now.