25th June, 2016
In a statement released on Saturday, the Army denied reports that the properties were acquired and paid for in a single transaction.
The Acting Director, Army Public Relations, Col. Sani Usman, confirmed that the Buratai family had two properties in Dubai.
Usman said that the Army chief had consistently declared the properties along with 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 allegations by the ‘Concerned Citizens’ were untrue.
“Concerned Soldiers and Officers from the North East” who raised the allegation in a petition obtained by an online news agency was obviously nonexistent, he stated.
Usman also described as untrue the claim that the huge lodgments were being made into an account owned by the COAS at Skye Bank.
“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,” he stated.