The accusation that the fight against corruption has been selective seems to have waned greatly in the light of the serial discoveries of huge looted caches of cash in several places in recent times but our penchant for drama, opacity and un-transparency took a new low with the discovery of $43,449,947, £27,800 and N23,218,000 [N13 billion] at an apartment in Ikoyi
Who is the owner of the money recovered from the apartment in Ikoyi? This simple and straightforward question has left the administration and security agencies including the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission who made the discovery running from pillar to post. So much insincerity is going on concerning this money.
Is the EFCC telling us the whistle-blower who informed them about the money did not tell the about the owner? To what end is this secrecy?
We are initially told that the money belong a former governor and one time chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party who is said to be legal owner of the property when the money was found. The man in question flatly denied the ownership of the money and the ding-dong moved to a former Director of the NNPC who recently sacked by the oil firm. She too denied the ownership of the slush money.
The same money is now being claimed by Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State and the National Intelligence Agency. Wike alleged that the money belong to River State and that the money was proceeds from the sale of a state-owned gas turbine by his predecessor, Rotimi Amaechi.
Wike stated that the state government was not interested in the prosecution of Amaechi, but simply seeking the return of funds belonging to the state. He said, should the Federal Government return the “stolen resources,” the said funds would be deployed for the completion of Amaechi’s abandoned monorail.
Forner Governor Amaechi has flatly denied Wike’s claim, describing it as malicious, frivolous and another failed attempt by Wike to divert attention from the mess he had created in Rivers State.
In a statement released by his media office in Abuja earlier on Saturday, which reads, “Wike has stolen Rivers State dry. Wike and his gang have frittered billions of naira of Rivers people away.
“Rivers State is perpetually in crisis. The state is in a mess as Wike has made a total mess of governance in the state. That child who sits there as governor is confused, he doesn’t know what to do. Wike’s only solution is to attack Amaechi.
“At this rate, if Wike is unable to perform his spousal duties, he will blame it on Amaechi. Yes, that’s how despicably low he can go in his consuming fixation to throw mud at Amaechi.”
The former governor challenged Wike to charge him to court if he has any shred of evidence that the money belongs to Rivers State and was kept in the Ikoyi apartment by him.
Amaechi also said he has no property in Lagos. He tasks those linking him to the property to find out details about the owners of the house from the Lagos State Land Registry. “Those making the unfounded allegation should go and find out from those living in the building, the landlord that sold the flats or the land registry about those who own the flats.
“I have asked my lawyer to sue those who are making such unfounded allegations against me.
National Intelligence Agency (NIA) claimed that the former president Goodluck Jonathan approved and released the cash. It claimed that the money was released to the agency for covert security projects and that it received the funds directly from the Central Bank of Nigeria. This position has been faulted by several reports. The CBN spokesperson, Isaac Okorafor, said, “It is true the Central Bank of Nigeria issues mint fresh notes, but it is only to banks. “After that (issuance to banks) CBN does not know which of their customers they (the banks) give those notes to and for what purpose. “I cannot say if the notes the NIA is claiming came from the CBN. So, I will not be able to answer questions on it for now, except I receive a specific request.”
The claims of both Wike and the NIA are nothing but a rant of a lunatic. It is just a cry of wolf where there is none. The two has no locus standi and I’m delighted a number of legal luminaries have voiced their opinion on this.
Several civil rights groups and the opposition Peoples Democratic Party have called on the EFCC to open up on the ownership of the recovered money.
Is the government covering someone? Who is the owner of the N13 billion recovered at an apartment in Ikoyi? Nigerians needed to know the mad men or women who are stealing daylight out of them.
