Former Senator of the Federal Republic, Iyorchia Ayu has explained why he collected N345m from the controversial arms deal funds through former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki.

Ayu, a native of Benue State said he collected the money as consultation fee on difficult issues.

He said, “When I served on the National Security Council as Minister of Internal Affairs, I got educated that various aspects of security work could be pushed under different classifications.

“Any funds remitted to the company were for consultancies on security related and electoral matters.

“When Colonel Sambo Dasuki assumed duty in June 2012, he approached me to assist based on my background as a social scientist and my previous involvement in government.

“Understandably, I provided the requisite advice whenever consulted on difficult issues. It is also public knowledge that I have considerable knowledge of Nigerian politics and skills for competitive political organisation.

“This is why in 1999, General Olusegun Obasanjo appointed me as Director-General of his campaign,” he told DailyTrust.