Army General Arrested For N12 billion NDDC Contract Scam, $17million Wire Fraud, Proposed Burning Down Commision’s Hq To Cover Fraud.

In three years, Brigadier General Charles Nengite, seconded from the Army headquarters to the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC got over N12 billion in contracts from the agency, wired $17million to his wife’s account in the United States, Pointblanknews.com investigations revealed.

Besides, the General connived with Christopher, son of a former Managing Director of the NDDC, Nelson Briambaifa, and laundered $5 million in a deal entered with MTN Nigeria, sources familiar with the deal disclosed.

According to NDDC officials, Nengite, the Army General, was a Strategic Think-Thank member of the Commision’s leadership, and helped Nsima Ekere and Nelson Braimbaifa, former Managing Directors, to loot the intervention agency.

One source disclosed that no sooner was Nengite seconded from the Nigerian Army to the NDDC, than top officials became confused on how to relate with the serving military officer. After chains of meetings, the leadership of the NDDC decided to designate him a Consultant. This, it was gathered, was to be able to accommodate the General in the Commission’s financial books.

Once designated Consultant, General Nengite used his position to bag seversl contracts ranging from emergency road repairs water hyacinth clearing jobs. In three years, he had collected N12 billion from unexecuted contracts, a source familiar with the deals told Pointblanknews.com

Other sources confirmed that Nengite was MD Nsima Ekere’s favourite at NDDC, hence getting paid for the unexecuted jobs never posed a problem.

Pointblanknews.com further gathered that prior to Ekere’s exit to contest the 2015 governorship election in Akwa-Ibom state, a meeting was held to appraise his electoral chances, and the possible probe of his tenure as MD of NDDC.

At this meeting, top officials were alarmed when  Nengite suggested that the best option was to burn down the NDDC headquarters and thus destroy all documents that might expose the humongous looting which characterized Ekere’s tenure.

“His suggestion was bizarre. We were stunned that an officer of the law could come up with such devious suggestion to destroy an institution just to cover up looting. It was the most scandalous thing to hear,” a source told Pointblanknews.com.

“To pay back Ekere’s generosity, the General provided military support for the governorship candidate, as well as help procure arms for his politician friend’s thugs to snatch ballot boxes and kill to ensure victory at all cost,” added another top official, stressing, “I’m sure you can recall Ekere’s leaked audio conversation with thugs days to the election”.

After Ekere’s exit, Braimbaifa was named as Acting MD, Nengite had no problem worming his way into the new MD’s heart. In no time, he again positioned himself as the think-thank chief of the NDDC, according to insiders at the agency.

Thereafter, the General befriended son of the new acting MD, Christopher, who doubled as his father’s Chief of Staff. They struck a business relationship.

Pointblanknews.com investigation revealed that Nengite and Christopher jointly registered a communications business with which they signed a deal with MTN to stream live videos on MTN carrier for MTN subscribers. The deal reportedly gulped over over $5 million.

In 2015, Nengite arrived in the U.S. for a programme at the U.S War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. In tow was his family. Upon completion of his studies, the General returned to Nigeria leaving his family behind in the U.S., close associates offered.

Upon returning to Nigeria and resuming duties at NDDC, General Nengite began wiring thousands of U.S Dollars to his wife’s account in the U.S.

Mrs. Nengite, who was yet to regularize her immigration papers and with no known job, started accumulating  millions of US dollars in her bank account. Bank officials alerted officials of the Federal Bureau of Investigations, FBI, who swiftly moved in, according to sources.

Pointblanknews.com gathered that the investigation led to the discovery that the source of the over $17million was Brigadier General Nengite. “FBI had no choice than to alert the Nigerian authority since he is a serving officer of the Army,” a source confirmed.

They informed Pointblanknews.com that some senior officials who have been interrogated by Army investigators, have implicated Nengite who is currently being detained. He is expected to be court martialed, and handed over to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, for prosecution

Highly cerebral, General Charles Dalo Nengite is a resource person on critical thinking for the following establishments: National Defence College, University of Abuja, Nigerian Defence Academy, Defence Intelligence College, National Open University of Nigeria, Army War College Nigeria, and Air Force War College.

He is also a resource person for the Nigerian Army College of Logistics, Nigerian Army School of Signals, Nigerian Army School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Naval War College, National Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies, Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Nigerian Army Resource Centre, Nigerian Army Armour School and the American Society for Industrial Security.

Apart from being an authority in Creative Leadership, Critical Thinking and judgment, he is a Strategist on Joint Operational Planning Process, Supply Chain Management, Operational Level Planning Process and Negotiations.

General Nengite holds a Bachelor of Engineering (B.Eng.) degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from the Nigerian Defence Academy, Kaduna (1994) and a Master of Science (M.Sc.) Degree in Strategic Studies from the United State Army War College (USAWC) in 2016, where he distinguished himself and won several awards.

He has authored four books on critical thinking and developed several short courses on management and problem solving.

From Nembe council in Bayelsa State, he floored 380 other postgraduate students to emerge top position at the U.S. War College (USAWC), Carlisle, Pennsylvania in 2016, according to information obtained from the college website

General Nengite’s performance was the best by any foreigner in 38 years in the college, the information added.

In one of several letters conveying his choice for the various awards, the Commandant of the college, Maj.-Gen. William Rapp, described Mr. Nengite’s performance as “arguably one of the best in the international fellows programmes at the USAWC”.

Mr. Rapp also said at the graduation ceremony of the college that Nigeria should be proud of Mr. Nengite and his compatriot in the Masters of Strategic Studies class.

The breakdown obtained from the school’s website indicated that at the graduation of the 2015 class, Col. Nengite bagged six awards for outstanding performance in different courses.

He earned the Distinguished Graduate award reserved for the top five fellows in his class of 381 and also the Commandant’s award for distinction in research.

Nengite also received the USAWC recognition award for innovation in SHARP – Sexual Harassment and Response Programme and articulated a seminal paper – “I am your friend campaign’’ – strategy under the SHARP.

SHARP is considered of significant importance to the U.S. Army.

Mr. Nengite also received the 2nd best speaker award in the speaking competition in the 2016 class made up of 302 Americans and 79 other nationals in 73 other countries.

The Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army, Gen. Mark Milley, who presided over the ceremony, told the audience that graduands of the college proceeded to occupy strategic leadership positions.

The USAWC was founded in 1901 to specifically cater for the strategic leadership training needs of the U.S. military.

Some of the prominent servicemen who had gone through USAWC are President Muhammadu Buhari, Generals Collin Powell, Dwight Eisenhower, George Patton and Norman Schwarzkopf.