Why Buhari ordered arrest of ‘a man he trusted’

An ally of President Muhammed Buhari and a key member of the presidential panel investigating the looting of funds meant for the purchase of weapons, Mohammed Umar, has been arrested on the orders of the President.

According to Premium Times, the President ordered for his arrest after he received reports that Umar, who is a retired Air Commodore, was involved in alleged money laundering and illegal possession of firearms. According sources in the Presidency, Umar, who was arrested last week by the State Security Service (SSS), ran a blackmail and extortion cartel.

  

Sources privy to the situation told Premium Times that Buhari had met with the Director of the DSS, Lawal Daura, and was informed that Umar was busy using the name of the President and other top government officials to extort and blackmail people.

“The president became worried and jittery when he was confronted with the way a man he trusted had been behaving.” “So he ordered that he should be picked up while the allegations against him are thoroughly investigated.”

Also seized from his Abuja house when it was raided on June 19 by the DSS include classified documents from the office of the president, details of government transaction from the Central Bank of Nigeria, details of bank transactions of the Office of the National Security Adviser and details of funds released to Nigerian security forces.

Umar is said to own several properties within Nigeria, Dubai and London.