Again, S’Africa seizes $5.7m arms cash from Nigeria

A South African news publication, ‘City
Express’, reported this on Monday, 6 October,
that the country’s Asset Forfeiture Unit of the
National Prosecuting Authority seized the
$5.7 million (N 952 million) for allegedly
being the proceeds of illegal transactions.
According to the paper, the transaction which
led to the confiscation, was between Societe
D’Equipments Internationaux, a Nigerian
company based in Abuja, and Cerberus Risk
Solutions, an arms broker in Cape Town.
The paper said the deal went sour
after Cerberus which had earlier gotten from
Nigeria R60 million (N 1.02 billion) in its
account at Standard Bank, tried to repay the
money as it it could not sort out its
registration formalities with the South African
authorities.
City Press said.”Cerberus was previously
registered as a broker with the National
Conventional Arms Control Committee
(NCACC), but the registration expired in May
this year. The marketing and contracting
permits also expired at the same time. The
company has since applied for re-
registration, but the application lay in the
NCACC’s mailbox for more than two months.
Sources told Rapport that Cerberus apparently
tried to pay the money back to the Nigerian
company, after which the bank became
suspicious.”
The National Prosecuting Authority NPA
spokesperson Nathi Mncube, was quoted as
saying that so far, there was nothing to prove
that both transactions were related.
“However, both are now the subject of a
criminal investigation and all possible
information and connections are being
investigated.”
This latest development comes as the dust is
yet to settle over the arrest of two Nigerians
and an Israeli national in South Africa while
attempting to smuggle US$9.3 million for
purchasing arms for the Nigerian Army.
The men were apprehended at Lanseria
International Airport, Johannesburg, on 5
September, after landing from Abuja in a
private jet, with the cash loaded in three
suitcases.
The House of Representatives recently threw
out a motion seeking a probe into the matter,
which resulted in the walk-out of members of
the major opposition party, APC, meanwhile,
the Senate has indicated its intention to
investigate the incident.