Lawmakers, police set for showdown over raids
More Senators are on the radar of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the operatives of the Nigeria Police with former governor of Kano state, Rabiu Musa kwankwaso being the latest victim of the renewed onslaught. Daily Trust on Sunday reports that so far, it has been a weekly affair since the Senators returned from the Easter break on the 25th of last month. It started with former governor of Gombe state, Senator Danjuma Goje to chairman of the Senate Commitee on Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Peter Nwaoboshi (PDP, Delta) and the Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu (PDP, Enugu).
Aside these four, some Senators have files at the EFCC that are pending and it is widely believed that the cases of others would soon be opened by the anti-corruption agencies and the police.
First to have issues with the Police was the chairman of the Appropriation committee, Senator Danjuma Goje (APC, Gombe). His Abuja residence was raided by operatives of the Nigeria Police force on the 20th of last month.
At the end of the operation that lasted for five hours, documents, laptop, N18m, $19,000 and 4,000 Saudi Riyadh were taken away by the security operatives. The issue created uproar when Senator Goje raised a point of order during plenary penultimate Wednesday over the raid. The operatives were accused of taken away 2017 budget documents during the exercise.
On the same day, the House of Representatives, constituted an ad-hoc panel to invite the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Ibrahim Idris to explain what warranted the raid and the laws that backed the police to carry out such operations. The IGP was also asked to return all the documents relating to the 2017 budget that were carted away from the senator’s house.
The issue was however resolved the following day (penultimate Thursday) when the presidency intervened. The intervention yielded result as the police higher authorities returned all that were taken from the residence. The items were returned by a Deputy Commissioner of Police and four others in company of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly (Senate), Senator Ita Enang to Goje’s house.
As the raid of Goje’s residence was being addressed, another controversy involving Senator Nwaoboshi came up. His billions of Naira skyscraper was taken over by the EFCC.
Our correspondent reports that four days after the raid of Goje’s house, precisely penultimate Monday, the EFCC secured a temporary forfeiture order from a Federal High Court in Lagos on the 12-storey Lagos building at 27 Marine Road, Apapa, Lagos belonging to Nwaoboshi.
The commission is accusing the Senator of acquiring the property through fraudulent means. His case revolve around the administration of James Ibori in Delta State.
Nwaoboshi, Daily Trust on Sunday reports is one of the key Senators in the ‘kitchen cabinet’ of the Senate President, Senator Bukola Saraki.
However, Nwaoboshi in a statement issued by his senior media assistant, Onyeluka Igbonoba, said the EFCC has not in any way secured an order from the court, legalizing the seizure of the said property. The case is still on and the dust it raised is yet to settle.
Then came the big one involving a presiding officer, the Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu. On Wednesday, he raised an alarm that a cabal in the presidency was plotting his arrest through the EFCC.
Raising a point of order on the floor plenary, Ekweremadu said an investigator of the EFCC leaked the plot through a secret letter to him. Ekweremadu said the EFCC had fixed yesterday for the operation.
The alleged letter reads, “Distinguished senator, there is a grand plan from a cabal in the presidency using the EFCC to indict and arrest you. This cabal has mandated the EFCC chairman to carry out this evil operation within two weeks.
“The plan go thus, On Saturday, 6th of May (yesterday) 2017 , the EFCC will raid an apartment under the guise of whistle blowing policy of the federal government with a search warrant already obtained from a magistrate court to search a guest house in Enugu belonging to you. Money in various foreign currencies, Ak-47 and two pump action (guns) would be planted in the house by the EFCC.”
But the EFCC through a statement by its spokesperson, Wilson Uwujaren deflated the claim, saying, “If any agency is plotting to plant monies and guns in Ekweremadu’s residence it was not the EFCC as such antics are alien to the commission.” We’re very disappointed that impunity is now the order of the day in a country we invested a lot to bring change; this is not the change we bargained for because we’re now in a helpless situation. If it were the previous government that’s doing this, we would not complain. Alas! This is being orchestrated by a government we worked to entrench
Hours after Ekweremadu raised the alarm, then comes the raid of the residence of the younger brother of Senator Rabiu Musa kwankwaso in Kano. It is believed that the raid on Lawal, a retired teacher was targeted at Senator Kwankwaso who came second at the presidential primary of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Our correspondent gathered while the raid was taking place on Wednesday, Kwankwaso rushed to the Senate President,apparently to intimate him of the development. He was seen in the company of Saraki around 3.pm on that day.
Speaking on the Hausa service of the BBC, Kwankwaso : “We’re very disappointed that impunity is now the order of the day in a country we invested a lot to bring change; this is not the change we bargained for because we’re now in a helpless situation. If it were the previous government that’s doing this, we would not complain. Alas! This is being orchestrated by a government we worked to entrench.”
Worried about the development, it was gathered that the Senators have concluded plans to dust the case of misappropriation of funds involving the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Ibrahim Idris.
The case of violation of the 2016 Appropriation Act, the fiscal responsibility Act and Public Procurement Act in the implementation of the capital component of the 2016 budget by the IGP was first raised at the House in January but it died down. But sources said plans are on to resurrect it.
Sources said the sum of N7.2 billion meant for the rehabilitation and reconstruction of 102 police stations and the purchase of 10 units of Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs) was misappropriated by the police.
It was gathered out of the amount, N6 billion was meant for the rehabilitation of police stations, while N1.2 billion was approved by the legislature in the 2016 budget for the purchase of the APCs.
A ranking lawmaker said that the issue is being revisited to ensure proper utilisation of budget and in line with the anti-corruption stand of the present administration.
Asked whether the issue has connection with the onslaught on Senators, the lawmaker who does not want to be named said, “No, this has to do with our oversight. We want proper implementation of the budget and nothing more. If you can remember, the issue started in January”.
A ranking Senator in a chat with our reporter expressed dismay over the operations, saying, “It is unfortunate that these are happening especially to those Senators who are of the APC. With all what Goje has done for the party, I’m surprised that this is happening to him”.
The founder of National Democratic Liberty Party (NDLP), Alhaji Umaru Mohammed Maizabura, said the DSS, EFCC, ICPC and police should not be blackmailed in the course of investigating public officials.
He, however, said the anti-corruption crusaders should also do enough home work before searching the houses of prominent people, including senators, so as to avoid embarrassing themselves in the event that they do not find anything.
“I found it sickening whenever I hear members of the National Assembly saying they would investigate someone for doing his work,” Maizabura, who was the presidential candidate of his party in 2015, said.
“It’s not about witch-hunting but doing the right thing. If a senator is suspected to have done something questionable, the Senate should allow the EFCC or whoever to do its work diligently without fear or favour.
“The issue before was that only members of the opposition were being investigated. Let me ask you this question, is Goje in the opposition? We should be fair to ourselves please,” he said.