By Henry Umoru

ABUJA- SENATE leader, Senator Mohammed Ali Ndume, APC, Borno South has asked the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC to go after former President Goodluck Jonathan to explain his role in the on – going investigation into the $2.1 billion arms deal.

Speaking with Journalists yesterday in Abuja, Senator Ndume who noted that it has become imperative for the EFCC to go after former President Jonathan because he was said to have given approval for the purchase of the arms that were allegedly not bought at the end of the day, adding that if the current anti- graft war of President Muhammed Buhari must be seen to be a reality, the Commission should beam its searchlight on the former President.

Meanwhile, as Senate President Bukola Saraki appears at the Code of Conduct Tribunal, CCT today for the continuation of his trial following a 13- count charge levelled against him by the Code of Conduct Bureau, CCB, bordering on alleged corruption and false declaration of assets’ Senate leader noted that it was not a big deal as he was also in court for a period of four years over a more serious issue relating to alleged sponsor of Boko Haram sect, yet he remains the Senate leader.

Senator Ndume said, “Do you know that I am still in court on a more serious issue.
The President of the Senate is in court for assets declaration but I am in court for a more serious issue that I am alleged to be the sponsor of Boko Haram. I have been in court for four years so why is it not an issue, I have not complained, it is not a big deal, I am still the Leader of the Senate and my role is as important as that of the President of the Senate, but it is not a big deal.
“Why are you making his own case a big deal. I think the Nigerian press trivializes things, dramatises issues, concentrates on events and personalities instead of ideas: does that help us?

When asked if the former President should be called for questioning, Senator Ndume said, “I do not want to dabble into that being one of the victims of the insurgency, my house was taken over by insurgents and my town was declared a caliphate of the insurgents, my Emir was killed while these people were smiling to the banks with the money that was meant to buy arms and ammunition. It was for lack of ammunition that the Nigerian Armed Forces had to run away.

“As far as I am concerned, these people are living on blood money, the blood of so money innocent citizens of this country particularly from the North East. No justice is too much for them, nobody is supposed to be spared. Because the case is judicial and I am not a lawyer to determine who should be brought to book, what I am saying is that justice should be served. Over 10,000 peple have lost their lives, at one time you could see my people were slaughtered like chickens and the reason why this happened was because our army was not equipped and not well kitted. And somebody made away with the money meant for the procurement of arms and ammunition.

“I am not defending former President Jonathan, but he approved that this money be used for procurement of arms, so if the law says he should be part of those that should part of the accountability or those that should face justice, I think nobody should be spared.

“If Olisah Metuh is using that as an excuse or a way to circumvent the law. I really don’t want to make comment on that but anybody that is involved in that blood money should be held responsible.

“If the former President approved that money in the name of buying arms while giving a directive that it should be shared among his cronies, then he should face the law. If anybody is suppose to buy arms and you gave them money to buy arms, as the president, after some time you should ask `where are the arms anyway’.

“Let me add and clearly that is my position, if because of this or any other criminality Jonathan should face the law, he should, I did, I am facing the law. Nobody is supposed to be above the law, if Jonathan is a culprit, he should face the law: if there is evidence that the former president should face the law then he should. After all he is presumed innocent until proven guilty.”

The Senate leader who accused the Mobile Telecommunications Network,(MTN), Nigeria Limited of being behind the growing activities of Boko Haram members, Kidnappers as well as collection of ransom because these were often traced to people using the MTN sim cards.

Ndume who noted that the MTN must pay the fine, said, “MTN should pay, they have been ripping off Nigeria and they really contributed to thriving of insurgency in Nigeria. President Buhari had been trying to avoid that is why he kept quiet, but we have been crying: how come bombs are being detonated by phones with MTN sim and nobody can trace that.

“How come Boko Haram had been communicating and nobody is intercepting their communication and majority of this can be traced to the lackluster of MTN in implementing the sim registration directive. As the President said, we lost a lot of lives as a resoult of their business and social irresponsibility and non compliance to laws.
Most of these kidnappings and collection of ransom are traced to people using MTN sim cards. So it is a business thing, NCC is doing its constitutional right: there is nothing wrong with government intervening. MTN knows that it was wrong if not they would not have started paying.”

On the visit of South African President to Nigeria, the Senate leader said, “The visit of the South African President, even though late, is better than never because the relationship between South Africa and Nigeria, being the largest economies in Africa
I listened to Zuma and I was impressed to hear him recalling most of the support and sacrifice Nigerian government and the Nigerian people made to the realization of what is now known as free South Africa. It is unfortunate that events like xenophobia that happened in south Africa and affected mostly Nigerians is unfortunate.
But people that are involved in xenophobia are people that were not born when the struggle was going on, it is good the South African President took his time to take us down the lane.
“I hope that young South Africans listened to the speech, I wish it was done before South African Youths. Even some of our youths exposed to Xenophobia don’t even know the sacrifis]ce Nigeria made.
“Unfortunately, this for Nigeria is that South Africa is a country that we are helping, but they have developed to a stage that Nigeria will seek support from them. Nigeria is supposed to have surpassed the South Africa level of development, but now South Africa has developed more than Nigeria to the extent that we we would seek help from them. But it is better to beg your brother that to beg another: South Africa is part of us so there is no shame in asking them for assistance: we have a mutual respect. South Africa is being driven by Nigeria in view of their many businesses here and the nation’s population.
“We hope that the South African government would really be part of de-mining the areas that have been mined by the insurgency because that is the next stage of the post insurgency era. Most of the areas have been mined by Boko Haram and South Africa has the Experience of demining and has the industrial capacity of producing mine resistant armories. We hope that they would help in providing thoe equipment that are required to demine those areas in Nigeria.”