Former Chairman, Presidential Implementation Committee on Maritime Security, retired Air Vice Marshal Saliu Atawodi yesterday denied any link with the $2.1 billion arms purchase deal.
He said he had never worked under Dasuki and as such had nothing to do with the huge amount of money said to have been allegedly mismanaged.
Atawodi was reacting to the use of his photograph in some national dailies along with those already indicted by the Presidential Committee that probed the alleged arms purchase deal.
Counsel to Atawodi, Wahab Olatoye, who spoke with newsmen yesterday said he should not be linked with any negative issue he knew nothing about while in and out of office.
Olatoye said it was mischievous, embarrassing and unwarranted for anybody or group to have dragged his client into the alleged scandalous arms deal, adding that he had served the nation for years without any blemish on his records.
His lawyer however admitted that a “baseless and frivolous petition” was written against his client in 2012 while he served as the chairman of PICOMMS under the late NSA, Major General Owoye Azazi and that the petition after a thorough probe was found worthless and thrown out by the investigating body.
Olatoye insisted that his client ?was never indicted by the EFCC, ICPC or any other investigative panel and wondered why the retired air marshal could be linked to an issue in which he had not in any way participated or involved.
“It is true that Atawodi was investigated based on a petition written by one Rabiu Hassan, Managing Director of Hypertech Limited over the purchase of K-38 Patrol boats for the Nigerian Army and it is equally true that at the end of the probe, no shred of evidence could be used to link or establish any fraudulent activity against the retired air chief.
The petition by the Hypetech MD can be read below:
How We Diverted and Shared N6bn Army Contract Funds Meant For Military Equipment -Contractor
