South Africa set to return seized $15m arms money

The South African government has said it will reach an agreement with Nigeria to ensure that Federal Government’s funds for arms are not seized in future. The South African Secretary for Defence and Military Veterans, Dr. Sam Gulube, said this while fielding questions from journalists shortly after the opening ceremony of the Nigeria-South Africa Defence Industry inaugural seminar on Monday in Abuja.

If you recall, the South African Revenue Service seized Nigeria’s $15m meant for arms purchase at Lanseria Airport, north-west of Johannesburg, on September 5, 2014, which had yet to be released almost two years after. Gulube, who led the South African delegation to the seminar, explained that the “issue had been settle.”

He added that he would discuss the legal framework with his Nigerian counterpart to guard against future recurrence. “The issue has been settled, but to avoid a future recurrence, I would hold a discussion with my counterparts and look into the legal framework to ensure that seizure of funds doesn’t recur,” he said.

Gulube said the seminar would benefit both South Africa and Nigeria, stressing that he was in the country to learn from Nigeria. He said, “This seminar would play critical roles to ensure the two countries have peace and security so they can have prosperity. The defence industry have great roles to play in development and economic security and it is only through advancement of defence technology that the two economies can grow and reduce dependence on oil and other mineral resources.”

He lauded Nigeria’s leading roles during his country’s struggle with apartheid, saying South Africa could not have been where it was today without Nigeria’s support.