Questions Trail Arms Deal Panel Report As Critics Point Fingers At Monguno’s Handling

Nearly a decade after Nigeria launched one of its biggest defence procurement investigations, fresh controversies are resurfacing over the Arms Deal Panel Report — with many Nigerians openly questioning why the final findings were never fully released or implemented.

The Presidential Committee on Audit of Defence Equipment Procurement (CADEP), inaugurated in 2015, submitted its reports in multiple batches. Early interim findings triggered EFCC investigations and headline-grabbing revelations. But the later and more comprehensive submissions quietly vanished from public view.

And this is where critics say the process became murky.

Public Concerns Point Toward Monguno’s Office

The later reports were submitted to the then National Security Adviser, Major General Babagana Monguno (Rtd.), who took over the NSA office shortly after the panel was set up.

Although Monguno never publicly admitted blocking or suppressing anything, several civil society groups and security analysts have repeatedly raised concerns that:

• the process “went silent” once the reports reached his desk,

• no white paper was issued on the committee’s recommendations,

• no official update on implementation was ever provided,

• and the final findings were never made public.

This sequence of events has fuelled widespread suspicion.

Critics Question the Lack of Transparency

Groups such as SERAP, CISLAC and several independent analysts argue that the silence under Monguno’s watch created the strongest perception of a cover-up, even if there is no official evidence to prove wrongdoing.

Some analysts claim the NSA’s office “effectively buried the momentum” of the probe. Others insist that the lack of clarity around the later reports contradicts the administration’s earlier anti-corruption promises.

Security governance expert Dr. Amaka Eze told Insider Reports:

“Whether deliberate or not, the opacity around Monguno’s handling of the report created a vacuum. And in Nigeria, a vacuum of information is quickly filled with suspicion.”

Unimplemented Recommendations Deepen Doubts

Sources familiar with CADEP’s work say the panel recommended:

• major reforms in defence procurement,

• sanctions for indicted officials,

• transparent auditing systems,

• and institutional restructuring.

But without government disclosure, Nigerians cannot tell whether any of these recommendations were implemented — or quietly abandoned.

The absence of an implementation roadmap, stakeholders say, is why many Nigerians now believe the report “died” at the NSA’s office.

Why the Controversy Keeps Returning

Nigeria is still battling severe insecurity, and many believe that unanswered questions from the arms procurement audit remain relevant to today’s failures.

To date:

• No comprehensive official statement has clarified the fate of the final reports.

• No full publication has been made available.

• No detailed breakdown of actions taken has been released.

And until these gaps are addressed, critics insist that Monguno’s management of the audit remains “one of the least transparent episodes of the Buhari era.”

Growing Calls for Full Disclosure

Civil society organisations are now urging the government to:

• publish all CADEP findings,

• disclose the implementation status,

• and explain what happened under Monguno’s tenure.

For many Nigerians, this is the only way to settle longstanding concerns and restore trust in defence sector accountability.