Ismaila Gwarzo
Encyclopedia
Aliyu Ismaila Gwarzo was the National Security Advisor of Nigeria
n military ruler Sani Abacha
. He has been linked to theft of $2.45 billion from the Central Bank of Nigeria
.
in Kano State
, about 72 kilometers from the capital Kano
.
He entered the police force where he held a number of positions of increasing responsibility, retiring with a senior rank.
In June 1986 the military head of state General Ibrahim Babangida
appointed Gwarzo Director General of the newly-formed State Security Service
(SSS), responsible for domestic intelligence. His Deputy Director was Lt. Colonel A.K. Togun.
In a case that attracted considerable media attention, Dele Giwa
, editor-in-chief of Newswatch magazine, was killed on 19 October 1986 by a parcel bomb.
Two days earlier SSS officials had summoned Giwa to their headquarters, where Colonel A.K. Togun accused him of planning a social revolution and of smuggling arms into the country.
Gwarzo was suspected of involvement in the assassination, but could not be questioned due to his position.
, who took office in August 1993, and then for General Sani Abacha
from November 1993 onward. He concentrated mostly on security matters, and did not become involved in foreign policy decisions.
However, Gwarzo did ask for funds for a campaign to cultivate the friendship of East African countries and the OAU to garner support for Nigeria gaining a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council
.
Within Nigeria, Gwarzo collected money for use in pro-government propaganda. The amounts spent were leaked to the radio and press, undermining the credibility of the regime.
Gwarzo and Major Hamza Al-Mustapha
, Abacha's Chief Security Officer, were said to be responsible for much of the "torture, killing and wanton looting" during Abacha's rule.
Gwarzo reportedly issued fake security reports that made it possible for hundreds of millions of dollars to be transferred from the government into private accounts owned by Abacha's relatives, while becoming a rich man in the process.
A preliminary report published by General Abdulsalam Abubakar's transitional government in November 1998 described the process. Abacha told Gwarzo to prepare funding requests for fake security projects, which Abacha approved as Head of State. The Central Bank of Nigeria
usually sent the funds to Gwarzo in cash or travellers' checks, and Gwarzo took the money to Abacha's house. Sani Abacha's son Mohammed
then arranged to launder the money to offshore accounts.
An estimated $1.4 billion in cash was delivered in this way.
For his personal benefit, Gwarzo persuaded Abacha to let him flood the market with US dollars to maintain a stable exchange rate.
Gwarzo bought $100 million from the Central Bank of Nigeria
at the official rate of N22 per dollar, and sold at the market rate of N84 per dollar, keeping the profit.
He was freed after being detained for three-months.
Gwarzo was eventually accused of stealing an estimated $2.45 billion from the Nigerian Central Bank.
Accounts of the amounts and eventual disposition of the funds that were recovered are confused.
In August 1998 the government said it had found about $500 million that Gwarzo had hidden in bank accounts and safe houses.
By November 1998 Abubakar announced that the government had recovered $1 billion from the Abacha family and another $250 million from Gwarzo.
According to Reuters, that month a presidential spokesman said the government had recovered US $750 million from Gwarzo of which $625.2 million were in US dollars and £75.3 million were in pounds sterling, worth about US$125.4 million.
A November newspaper story said 37 properties had also been seized from Gwarzo, five vehicles and 16 trailers of fertilizers. Gwarzo reportedly "insisted that he was merely 'an errand boy' to the late Abacha".
Nigeria returned to democracy in May 1999 with the Nigerian Fourth Republic
.
On 30 September 1999 Nigeria asked the Swiss Federal Office for the Prevention of Money Laundering to freeze all the assets of the Abacha family, Gwarzo and others associated with the regime.
In January 2000 it was reported that $654 million had been found in about 140 Swiss bank accounts in the names of Abacha, his family and associates. More money had been found in Luxembourg and Belgium, and it was suspected that money had been hidden in other countries.
President Olusegun Obasanjo issued an informal injunction restricting Gwarzo to his home town in Kano State
to prevent alleged plots.
Gwarzo was under house arrest for 18 months with no charges brought against him.
In September 2000 Gwarzo appeared before a Swiss judge and a team of Swiss detectives in Abuja
. He offered to pay another $500 million to the Federal government.
(ICPC) soon after being elected, the law was not retroactive.
In March 2011 the Arewa Consultative Forum
called a meeting of retired security chiefs and generals from the North.
Gwarzo was among those invited.
Some newspapers said the purpose was to mobilize support former military head of state Muhammadu Buhari
, who was running for election as President on the Congress for Progressive Change
platform.
The ACF said this was untrue. The ACF had only discussed a planned meeting of security experts to prepare recommendations for President Goodluck Jonathan
.
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
n military ruler Sani Abacha
Sani Abacha
General Sani Abacha was a Nigerian military leader and politician. A Kanuri from Borno by tribe, he was born and brought up in Kano, Nigeria. He was the de facto President of Nigeria from 1993 to 1998....
. He has been linked to theft of $2.45 billion from the Central Bank of Nigeria
Central Bank of Nigeria
The Central Bank of Nigeria was established by the CBN Act of 1958 and commenced operations on July 1, 1959.The major regulatory objectives of the bank as stated in the CBN act of 1958 is to: issue legal tender, maintain the external reserves of the country, promote monetary stability and a sound...
.
Head of State Security Service
Aliyu Ismaila Gwarzo was born in the village of GwarzoGwarzo
Gwarzo is a Local Government Area in Kano State, Nigeria. Its headquarters are in the town of Gwarzo.It has an area of 393 km² and a population of 183,987 at the 2006 census.The postal code of the area is 704....
in Kano State
Kano State
Kano State is a state located in North-Western Nigeria. Created on May 27, 1967 from part of the Northern Region, Kano state borders Katsina State to the north-west, Jigawa State to the north-east, Bauchi State to the south-east and Kaduna State to the south-west...
, about 72 kilometers from the capital Kano
Kano
Kano is a city in Nigeria and the capital of Kano State in Northern Nigeria. Its metropolitan population is the second largest in Nigeria after Lagos. The Kano Urban area covers 137 sq.km and comprises six Local Government Area - Kano Municipal, Fagge, Dala, Gwale, Tarauni and Nassarawa - with a...
.
He entered the police force where he held a number of positions of increasing responsibility, retiring with a senior rank.
In June 1986 the military head of state General Ibrahim Babangida
Ibrahim Babangida
General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida CFR DSS mni , popularly known as IBB, was a Nigerian Army officer and military ruler of Nigeria...
appointed Gwarzo Director General of the newly-formed State Security Service
State Security Service
State Security Service is the primary domestic intelligence agency of Nigeria. It is primarily responsible for the gathering of intelligence within the country and for the protection of senior government officials, particularly the President and state governors. It is one of three successor...
(SSS), responsible for domestic intelligence. His Deputy Director was Lt. Colonel A.K. Togun.
In a case that attracted considerable media attention, Dele Giwa
Dele Giwa
Dele Giwa was a Nigerian journalist, editor and founder of Newswatch magazine, who was killed by a mail bomb in his home on 19 October 1986...
, editor-in-chief of Newswatch magazine, was killed on 19 October 1986 by a parcel bomb.
Two days earlier SSS officials had summoned Giwa to their headquarters, where Colonel A.K. Togun accused him of planning a social revolution and of smuggling arms into the country.
Gwarzo was suspected of involvement in the assassination, but could not be questioned due to his position.
National Security Advisor
Gwarzo was National Security Advisor (NSA) for President Ernest ShonekanErnest Shonekan
Ernest Adegunle Oladeinde Shonekan is a British trained Nigerian lawyer, industrialist, politician and traditional chieftain. He was appointed as interim president of Nigeria by General Ibrahim Babangida on 26 August 1993. Babangida resigned under pressure to cede control to a democratic government...
, who took office in August 1993, and then for General Sani Abacha
Sani Abacha
General Sani Abacha was a Nigerian military leader and politician. A Kanuri from Borno by tribe, he was born and brought up in Kano, Nigeria. He was the de facto President of Nigeria from 1993 to 1998....
from November 1993 onward. He concentrated mostly on security matters, and did not become involved in foreign policy decisions.
However, Gwarzo did ask for funds for a campaign to cultivate the friendship of East African countries and the OAU to garner support for Nigeria gaining a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council
United Nations Security Council
The United Nations Security Council is one of the principal organs of the United Nations and is charged with the maintenance of international peace and security. Its powers, outlined in the United Nations Charter, include the establishment of peacekeeping operations, the establishment of...
.
Within Nigeria, Gwarzo collected money for use in pro-government propaganda. The amounts spent were leaked to the radio and press, undermining the credibility of the regime.
Gwarzo and Major Hamza Al-Mustapha
Hamza al-Mustapha
Hamza al-Mustapha was the Chief Security Officer of General Sani Abacha, military head of state of Nigeria from November 1993 to June 1998. After Abacha's death he was arrested and tried for murder and attempted murder...
, Abacha's Chief Security Officer, were said to be responsible for much of the "torture, killing and wanton looting" during Abacha's rule.
Gwarzo reportedly issued fake security reports that made it possible for hundreds of millions of dollars to be transferred from the government into private accounts owned by Abacha's relatives, while becoming a rich man in the process.
A preliminary report published by General Abdulsalam Abubakar's transitional government in November 1998 described the process. Abacha told Gwarzo to prepare funding requests for fake security projects, which Abacha approved as Head of State. The Central Bank of Nigeria
Central Bank of Nigeria
The Central Bank of Nigeria was established by the CBN Act of 1958 and commenced operations on July 1, 1959.The major regulatory objectives of the bank as stated in the CBN act of 1958 is to: issue legal tender, maintain the external reserves of the country, promote monetary stability and a sound...
usually sent the funds to Gwarzo in cash or travellers' checks, and Gwarzo took the money to Abacha's house. Sani Abacha's son Mohammed
Mohammed Abacha
Mohammed Abacha is the eldest surviving son of Nigeria's former military dictator, the late General Sani Abacha, and Maryam Abacha.-Money laundering:During his father's military rule, Mohammed Abacha was involved in looting the government....
then arranged to launder the money to offshore accounts.
An estimated $1.4 billion in cash was delivered in this way.
For his personal benefit, Gwarzo persuaded Abacha to let him flood the market with US dollars to maintain a stable exchange rate.
Gwarzo bought $100 million from the Central Bank of Nigeria
Central Bank of Nigeria
The Central Bank of Nigeria was established by the CBN Act of 1958 and commenced operations on July 1, 1959.The major regulatory objectives of the bank as stated in the CBN act of 1958 is to: issue legal tender, maintain the external reserves of the country, promote monetary stability and a sound...
at the official rate of N22 per dollar, and sold at the market rate of N84 per dollar, keeping the profit.
House arrest
After Abacha's unexpected death in June 1998, his successor General Abdulsalam Abubakar had Gwarzo immediately placed under house arrest.He was freed after being detained for three-months.
Gwarzo was eventually accused of stealing an estimated $2.45 billion from the Nigerian Central Bank.
Accounts of the amounts and eventual disposition of the funds that were recovered are confused.
In August 1998 the government said it had found about $500 million that Gwarzo had hidden in bank accounts and safe houses.
By November 1998 Abubakar announced that the government had recovered $1 billion from the Abacha family and another $250 million from Gwarzo.
According to Reuters, that month a presidential spokesman said the government had recovered US $750 million from Gwarzo of which $625.2 million were in US dollars and £75.3 million were in pounds sterling, worth about US$125.4 million.
A November newspaper story said 37 properties had also been seized from Gwarzo, five vehicles and 16 trailers of fertilizers. Gwarzo reportedly "insisted that he was merely 'an errand boy' to the late Abacha".
Nigeria returned to democracy in May 1999 with the Nigerian Fourth Republic
Nigerian Fourth Republic
The Fourth Republic is the republican government of Nigeria. Since 1999 it has governed the country according to the fourth republican constitution. It was in many ways a revival of the Second Republic, which was in place between 1979 and 1983 and suffers many of the same problems, such as multiple...
.
On 30 September 1999 Nigeria asked the Swiss Federal Office for the Prevention of Money Laundering to freeze all the assets of the Abacha family, Gwarzo and others associated with the regime.
In January 2000 it was reported that $654 million had been found in about 140 Swiss bank accounts in the names of Abacha, his family and associates. More money had been found in Luxembourg and Belgium, and it was suspected that money had been hidden in other countries.
President Olusegun Obasanjo issued an informal injunction restricting Gwarzo to his home town in Kano State
Kano State
Kano State is a state located in North-Western Nigeria. Created on May 27, 1967 from part of the Northern Region, Kano state borders Katsina State to the north-west, Jigawa State to the north-east, Bauchi State to the south-east and Kaduna State to the south-west...
to prevent alleged plots.
Gwarzo was under house arrest for 18 months with no charges brought against him.
In September 2000 Gwarzo appeared before a Swiss judge and a team of Swiss detectives in Abuja
Abuja
Abuja is the capital city of Nigeria. It is located in the centre of Nigeria, within the Federal Capital Territory . Abuja is a planned city, and was built mainly in the 1980s. It officially became Nigeria's capital on 12 December 1991, replacing Lagos...
. He offered to pay another $500 million to the Federal government.
Later career
A report in Newswatch in February 2004 noted that Gwarzo and others known to have stolen large amounts from the government were still free. Although Obasanjo had established the Independent Corrupt Practices CommissionIndependent Corrupt Practices Commission
The Independent Corrupt Practices Commission , is a Nigerian agency that was inaugurated on the 29th of September 2000 following the recommendation of President Olusegun Obasanjo...
(ICPC) soon after being elected, the law was not retroactive.
In March 2011 the Arewa Consultative Forum
Arewa Consultative Forum
The Arewa Consultative Forum is a political and cultural association of leaders in Northern Nigeria formed in 2000 which has considerable influence in the political scene...
called a meeting of retired security chiefs and generals from the North.
Gwarzo was among those invited.
Some newspapers said the purpose was to mobilize support former military head of state Muhammadu Buhari
Muhammadu Buhari
Muhammadu Buhari was a military ruler of Nigeria and an unsuccessful candidate for president in the 2003, 2007 and 2011 presidential elections...
, who was running for election as President on the Congress for Progressive Change
Congress for Progressive Change
The Congress for Progressive Change is a political party founded in Nigeria in 2009 in preparation for the April 2011 elections.It is the 63rd political party to be founded in the country and also the last political party to be registered in Nigeria....
platform.
The ACF said this was untrue. The ACF had only discussed a planned meeting of security experts to prepare recommendations for President Goodluck Jonathan
Goodluck Jonathan
Goodluck Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan, GCFR, BNER, GCON is the 14th Head of State and current President of Nigeria.He was Governor of Bayelsa State from 9 December 2005 to 28 May 2007, and was sworn in as Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on 29 May 2007. Jonathan is a member of the...
.