The Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) has demanded a thorough investigation of a military contractor, Kabiru Sallau.
Sallau is the Managing Director of K. Salam Construction Company Nigeria Limited.
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) raided his home in Abuja last week.
In a statement, CISLAC Director, Auwal Rafsanjani called for the arrest of the suspect’s associates.
Rafsanjani urged President Muhammadu Bihari to direct the ICPC to “expose the true source and ownership of the recovered assets/items”.
He said this would ensure that the perpetrators and accomplices are judiciously prosecuted and adequately sanctioned.
The activist expressed concerned over “unattended corruption issues in procurement processes in Nigeria”.
Rafsanjani said the nation’s defence spending remained buried in absolute secrecy and institutionalised corruption that impede efficient services.
He noted that the home raid was not unconnected to other entrenched symptoms of unquantified level of systemic corruption dominating defence procurement.
CISLAC decried the spending of unaccounted funds approved for the procurement and frequent denial by successive Security Chiefs of the existence of weapons.
Rafsanjani warned that the diversion of defence and security funds through concealed procurement processes constituted a serious threat to Nigeria.
He said security operatives were ill-equipped, poorly-remunerated and demoralised in spite of increased Defence budgetary allocations from 2011 to date.
The director bemoaned that numerous high profile cases of corruption were pending or those tried granted presidential pardons, “a clear indication of lopsidedness and selective fight”.
“We demand transparency and accountability in Defence spending and targeted investigation by National Assembly into reported unaccounted spending on weapons.
“We further demand adequate legislative oversight of Defence/Security procurement and spending by relevant National Assembly committees”, the statement added.