When whistle turns against spymaster
The whistle blowing policy of the federal government assumed a dramatic twist on April 12, 2017 when the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission announced that it had uncovered foreign currencies and Naira notes to the tune of $43.4m, £27,800 and N23.2m
A retired deputy director of the NIA, Ibrahim Ibrahim, reportedly said the money was part of funds channeled by the former president through the NIA for his party’s 2015 campaign
The sting operation that led to the monumental recovery was said to be sequel to confidential information received by the EFCC’s Lagos office regarding some suspicious movement of bags in and out of a particular apartment in the building. The total amount of money recovered was put at over N15bn based on the current Central Bank exchange rate.
The sinews of that Wednesday’s operation were highly theatrical. A source conversant with the apartment was quoted by the EFCC as indicating that a woman usually appeared on different occasions with ‘Ghana Must Go’ bags. “She comes looking haggard, with dirty clothes but her skin didn’t quite match her outward appearance, perhaps a disguise”, the source reportedly told the EFCC.
When the EFCC operatives eventually used minimum force to enter the apartment, it bore all the trappings of a banking hall. They were bewildered at the sight of large sums of money found in two of the four-bedroom apartment even as further probe of the wardrobe by operatives in one of the rooms yielded three fire-proof cabinets hidden behind wooden panels of the wardrobe.
A further scrutiny of the content of the cabinets revealed neatly arranged US Dollars, Pound Sterling and some Naira notes in sealed wrappers. The funds which were suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activity soon became subject of controversy as there were claims and counter-claims on the ownership.
The controversy surrounding the ownership took a dramatic turn when Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State and the National Intelligence Agency claimed ownership of the money.
As a tweet from the EFCC later announced that a federal court had ordered the interim forfeiture of the amount, the National Intelligence Agency reportedly said the money belonged to it. Although the agency did not come out with an official statement to that effect inside sources had claimed that the money belonged to the NIA. To justify its claim, the NIA was said to have formally written to President Muhammadu Buhari explaining that the money was approved by former president, Goodluck Jonathan, for covert operations and security projects covering a period of years.
When EFCC operatives stormed the Ikoyi property on that fateful day, they were informed that the said apartment was a safe house of the NIA from which discreet operations were carried out.
“The entire chain of events was a big misunderstanding. That place was an NIA safe house and you have to understand that the NIA carries out discreet investigations in conjunction with many agencies across the world”, a source was quoted as saying.
But Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State and his Ekiti State counterpart, Ayo Fayose, would not hear of the claim by the NIA. While Wike described the claim that the cash belonged to the NIA as balderdash, Fayose of Ekiti State described it as a cover-up and that the development had succeeded in rubbishing the federal government’s anti-graft war.
Wike alleged that the immediate past governor of the state and the current Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, kept the money in the apartment, as such, he gave the federal government a seven-day ultimatum to return the money to the state government or be ready to face legal action.
According to Wike, the $43m was part of the proceeds from the sale of a gas turbine by the immediate past administration, adding that the gas turbine was initially built by the Peter Odili administration.
“All these things they are saying that the $43m belong to the Nigerian Intelligence Agency are balderdash. When did the NIA begin to keep money in houses? As I speak to you now, the federal government is so embarrassed. I want the president to set up a commission of inquiry. We don’t want to fight anybody; they should set up a commission of inquiry or return our money within seven days. If they don’t, we will take all necessary legal actions and NIA will come and prove where they got the money from”, Wike reportedly said.
But in a swift reaction, Amaechi denied ownership of the money even as he disputed the claim by his successor that the money was part of proceeds from the sale of the gas turbines belonging to the state government.
“Amaechi has no business, link or connection to the money or property. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi does not know who owns the money or Ikoyi apartment”, a statement by Amaechi’s spokesman said.
A fresh dimension was added when Amaechi threatened to sue a former aviation minister, Femi Fani-Kayode, and Lere Olayinka, an aide to Governor Ayo Fayose, for allegedly naming him as owner of the Lagos apartment where over N13 billion was found. Amaechi, through his lawyer, Lateef Fagbemi, informed Fani-Kayode and Olayinka in separate letters dated April 14 that some comments they posted on the social media amounted to defamation.
Amaechi’s lawyers said the claims as uploaded by Mr. FaniKayode were “blatantly false, malicious and aimed at impeaching the credit” of the minister, saying: “Our client neither owns the cash nor the house where the cash was found and your story and claim are unfounded.”
The unfolding drama reached an anticlimax at the weekend when the EFCC was said to have submitted a report to the Presidency, giving details of the discoveries made during the operation and the origin of the money.
Consequently, the Director General of the National Intelligence Agency, Ambassador Ayo Oke, who had claimed the recovered money belonged to his agency, was suspended by President Buhari who was said to be furious with the claim as he had never been briefed about the fund by Oke who was appointed by Jonathan.
Following the announcement of his suspension, Oke betrayed emotions as he fought back tears when he visited the Aso Rock Presidential Villa in Abuja. Poor Oke! His attempts to gain access to Osinbajo and Buhari’s offices initially hit a brick wall until 30 minutes later when he resurfaced and headed for a closed door meeting with the vice president. Although the doors were later opened after his meeting with Osinbajo, but it appears the curtains at Aso Rock are permanently closed against the spy master.
The last may yet be heard of it as a new twist was added implicating former president, Goodluck Jonathan.
A retired deputy director of the NIA, Ibrahim Ibrahim, reportedly said the money was part of funds channeled by the former president through the NIA for his party’s 2015 campaign.
According to him, though Jonathan approved the funds to be distributed to PDP chieftains, the NIA director general did not do so for unknown reasons.
As the three-man committee headed by Vice President Osinbajo investigates the matter, more revelations may emerge.
The unfolding drama reached an anticlimax at the weekend when the EFCC was said to have submitted a report to the Presidency, giving details of the discoveries made during the operation and the origin of the money