The Department of State Services (DSS) on Wednesday moved the immediate past National Security Adviser (NSA), Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd), to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), 
where he was interrogated by operatives of the commission over the $2.2 billion arms procurement deal.
DSS laid siege to Dasuki residence for close to a month before he was taken into custody in Abuja on Tuesday for interrogation and detention in connection with the arms deal. The DSS later transferred him to the EFCC where interrogation continued. It was not clear if he was taken back to the DSS headquarters or detained at the EFCC facility overnight.
The former NSA boss had already been charged by the federal government for illicit possession of firearms and money laundering but was granted bail by a Federal High Court in Abuja. He was also granted permission to travel overseas for medical treatment but was prevented from doing so by DSS personnel who barricaded his residence last month.
The federal government has asked the court to withdraw the bail it granted him in order to detain him.
Meanwhile, a former governor of Sokoto State, Atahiru Bafarawa, and the Chairman, Daar Communications Plc, Chief Raymond Dokpesi, who were invited by EFCC on Tuesday, were still in the commission’s custody on Wednesday.
Bafarawa and Dokpesi, are also being investigated in connection with the arms procurement deal, were granted administrative bail under very stringent terms. Though meeting the criteria for bail, the EFCC obtained a holding warrant from a Magistrate’s Court to keep Dokpesi in detention.
However, Dokpesi has explained that the N2.1 billion he received from the office of the NSA during the administration of Goodluck Jonathan was payment for media and political campaigns for the 2015 general election.
According to sources, Dokpesi, in a statement released by his company on Wednesday, explained that he was invited by the chairman of the EFCC, Ibrahim Magu, to “shed more light on some payments that were made to him through the office of the erstwhile National Security Adviser to the former president, Goodluck Jonathan”.
“Dokpesi explained to the EFCC officials that the N2.1 billion that he collected from the former NSA was payment for publicity and media political campaigns during the 2015 general election,” the paper quoted the statement as saying.
“Dokpesi made his statement on the various media exposures and campaign transactions which were dutifully carried out based essentially on contractual obligations/relationship,” the statement added.
Following an interim report released by a presidential committee investigating the procurement of arms from 2007 to date, which revealed extra-budgetary spending of up to N643.8 billion and a further $2.2 billion, the EFCC set up a special panel to probe how the monies were spent.
