Buratai’s Dubai properties procured with personal savings – Army

Fidelis Soriwei, Abuja
The Nigerian Army has denied media reports that the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai and his two wives acquired a property in Dubai and paid for it in a single transaction.
The Acting Director, Army Public Relations, Col. Sani Usman, said in a statement on Saturday that while it was true that the  Buratai family had two properties in Dubai, they were bought with personal savings in 2013.
Usman said that the Army Chief had consistently declared the properties along other properties in his assets declaration form as Commander, Multinational Joint Task Force and the Chief of Army Staff.
He described the report as a smear campaign which was designed to malign the image of the Chief of Army Staff.
He said that similar moves to smear the image of the COAS in March 2016 could not fly because the allegation by the ‘Concerned Citizens’ were untrue.
He said that the “Concerned Soldiers and Officers From the North East” who raised the allegation in a petition obtained by an online news agency was obviously non existent.
Usman also described as untrue the claim that the huge amounts were being paid into an account owned by the COAS at Skye Bank.
He said Buratai had no account with Skye Bank and had not been involved in any shady transaction and contract scam.
Usman added that Buratai had never occupied any position as Director of Procurement as there was no such position in the service until Buratai created it with his appointment as the Army Chief.
He said, “It is a fact that the Buratai family has two properties in Dubai that were paid for installmentally through personal savings three years ago.
“This, along with other personal assets have consistently been declared by General Buratai in his Assets Declaration Form as Commander Multinational Joint Task Force Commander and as Chief of Army Staff.
“It is pertinent to state that the Chief of Army Staff does not have any account with Skye Bank as alleged, let alone making deposits in the imaginary bank account to the tune of the amount stated in the write up. Similarly, he has not been involved in any  form of shady or dishonest transaction, not to talk of “contract scam”.
“In addition, General Buratai was never near either Defence Headquarters or Army Headquarters in 2013.  It is pertinent to also note that he was never a Director  of procurement in Army Headquarters as alleged. As a matter of fact, the Nigerian Army never had a Directorate of Procurement till when he established one last year when he became Chief of Army Staff.”