President Muhammadu Buhari has approved a fresh investigation of 54 retired and serving army officers, retired and serving public officials as well as chief executive officers of companies over their role in the scandal rocking the procurement of military hardware between 2007 and 2015.
According to a statement to the media by the information minister, Lai Mohammed, the approval followed the third interim report of the presidential committee on the audit of defence equipment chaired by retired Air Vice Marshal Jon Ode, and which was released on Thursday, July 14. Among those to be investigated are 18 serving and retired military personnel, 12 serving and retired public officials and 24 chief executive cfficers of companies involved in the procurement.
The statement said all those indicted were either accounting officers or played key roles in the procurement activities during the period under review. Those listed for further investigation include two former Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt-General OA Ihejirika (rtd) and Lt-General KTJ Minimah (rtd); former minister of state for Foreign Affairs II, Dr Nurudeen Mohammed and three former permanent secretaries in the ministry of Defence – Mr Bukar Goni Aji, Mr Haruna Sanusi and Mr EO Oyemomi respectively.
Also, the chief executive officers to be investigated include Col Olu Bamgbose (rtd) of Bamverde Ltd; Mr Amity Sade of Doiyatec Comms Ltd and DYI Global Services and Mr Edward Churchill of Westgate Global Trust Ltd.
According to the committee, the total amount spent for procurement and operations within the period were N185,843,052,564.30 and $685,349,692.49. 
The committee also found that the Nigerian Army contracts awarded by the ministry of Defence for the period under review were often awarded without “significant input from end-user (Nigerian Army) and to vendors who lacked the necessary technical competence.
