...Intelligence chiefs ask NIA, EFCC to speak up
Some retired intelligence chiefs have asked the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) to substantiate its claim over the N15 billion recovered by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in Lagos.
“If the agency is claiming it, they are duty bound to explain what the money is meant for and why it is in a private apartment. If these questions are answered, it will be their words against their words,” one of the intelligence chiefs said.
The retired intelligence top guns, who spoke to Daily Trust off records, said the NIA and the EFCC should formally speak on the recovered N15 billion to end the controversies surrounding the fund.
One of them, who is a retired General said the Director General of the NIA should immediately speak on the money.
Another retired intelligence officer blamed the EFCC for the controversy, saying “before going to public they should have carried out quick investigation.
“They should have placed the house in secret 24 hours surveillance, go to Lagos State Ministry of land and contact utility services providers like PHCN, water board to know who owns the house, who is occupying it and all that,” he said.
For the NIA, the intelligence officer, who was part of the top guns of the last administration said keeping the money for 3 years was questionable.
“Even if it belongs to the NIA, it shouldn’t have been kept for that long because operations are time bound. Our job is time bound. What type of operation is it meant for? Why did they keep it for that long? Operations are dynamic, what is required for operation A is not same for operation B,” he said.
Also, a member of the Senate committee on intelligence in last assembly said there was no provision for covert operation in the budget of the NIA throughout the seventh Senate.
“Throughout our supervision of the agency, there was no time that such provision was made in the budget of the NIA. I was surprised that such amount is being attributed to the NIA. Yes, NIA operate worldwide and as such its budget even though it is Naira, they convert it to foreign currencies to pay their workers and carry out operations abroad.
“Like the DSS in internal security of the country, the NIA is responsible for foreign intelligence and counterintelligence, hence their operations are global. But I don’t think it warrant such huge amount be kept for that long,” he said.
Also speaking, another intelligence officer said, “All the NIA does is for the survival of a regime and since the last administration is no more, the money should have been returned to the coffers.”
Efforts by Daily Trust to get responses from both agencies failed yesterday. Spokesperson to the NIA was said to be out of the country, while the EFCC did not respond to questions sent to it.
Questions sent to the NIA include; Why did the NIA not protect the money said to have been kept in the house for over two years? Is it true that the NIA contacted the EFCC claiming the money belonged to them? Please confirm if during the operation to recover the money NIA personnel present were at the location? Is it normal for this amount of money to be kept outside the office?
Daily Trust also asked the EFCC to respond to the following questions; Is it true that the NIA contacted the EFCC claiming the money belonged to them? Please confirm if during the operation to recover the money, NIA personnel were present at the location? Also confirm if the EFCC chairman has been summoned by the presidency over ownership of the money? There are so many claims over the true ownership of the money, the River State government and now the NIA, who is the true owner of the money, and where is the money?
Based on your experience as the foremost anti graft organization, is it normal to find money purportedly belonging to a sister security agency in private apartments? What is the update on the N49 million recovered at the Kaduna Airport by the EFCC, where is the money now? Because we learnt that the money was claimed by some Bureau the change organizations, is this true?