The controversy surrounding the $43,449,947, £27,800 and N23,218,000 recovered by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) from an Ikoyi apartment in Lagos has continued to assume many dimensions.
Amid claims by Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike, that the recovered funds belong to Rivers state which he asked the Federal Government to return within seven days or face legal action, the alleged involvement of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), has raised more suspicion on the true owner of the fund.
Wike had alleged that investigations by the Rivers State Government revealed that the money was proceed from the sale of gas turbines by the immediate past Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi.
Addressing journalists at the Government House, Port Harcourt on Friday night, Governor Wike said: “The money in question belongs to the former Rivers State Governor, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi. We want to confirm that the houses in Ikoyi also belong to Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi.
But an earlier report by Premium Times had said that the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Ayodele Oke had claimed ownership of the money.
According to the report, former President Goodluck Jonathan approved the funds for the 30-year old secret service agency after its immediate past Director General, Olaniyi Oladeji, alerted him to the need for some “crucial and covert security projects”.
The funds were later released in cash directly from the Central Bank of Nigeria as a way of making its spending completely secret.
This, the NIA DG, Mr. Oke reportedly told President Buhari while briefing him on the ownership of the fund in the company of the Attorney General Abubakar Malami.
But a report by TheCable on Saturday indicates that the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) never briefed President Muhammadu Buhari on its ‘covert projects’.
The report, quoting government sources said that “it is a cock and bull story”.
“It is impossible, probably treasonable, that a security agency will be carrying out covert operations without the knowledge of the sitting president and commander-in-chief of the armed forces,” the source said.
“The president has been in power for nearly two years now and not once did the NIA DG mention any such project to him, either at security meetings or one-on-one.
“From what we know so far, funds were indeed approved by Jonathan for the agency in late 2014. But like the monies released for Boko Haram operations, the funds were diverted for non-security use. That is why they ended up in a private residence.
“It appears the funds were diverted for the 2015 elections but some smarter guys kept part for personal use.”
‘SENSITIVE DOCUMENTS’
Ayodele Oke, the NIA director-general, was appointed by Jonathan in November 2013 and retained by Buhari, even though he replaced other security chiefs in August 2015.
While the Ikoyi operation was underway on Wednesday, Oke was reported to have run to the office of Ibrahim Magu, the EFCC chairman, to inform him that there were “covert” security funds in the flat being searched by the operatives.
However, TheCable understands that Oke only told Magu that there were “sensitive documents” in the house and pleaded that EFCC should abort the operation.
A security official who spoke to TheCable on Friday said “that was what gave away the game”.
“Oke had never mentioned any discreet project being executed by NIA since he started holding security meetings with the president in June 2015,” the official said.
“He never mentioned anything of this nature to the president in private either. For him to be coming up with this story in April 2017 — for the first time — there is a clear case of an attempted cover-up.”
Gordon Obuah, the chief security officer to Jonathan from 2010-2015, died suddenly on Thursday after a “massive heart attack”, leading to speculation that he might also have known about the funds.
He was being investigated separately by the DSS over security funds linked to him and had his movement curtailed by the secret police in the last two years.
UNANSWERED QUESTIONS
Several posers are being raised which further put a dent on NIA’s claims of ownership.
“To start with, if the president, if the national security adviser and if other security chiefs were never aware of covert projects until now, that in itself is a big problem,” another top official said.
“Second, if NIA needs such a huge amount of money in Nigeria, it has enough safes in fortified offices to keep it. It does not need an unprotected private residence. It makes no sense to keep the funds in a private residence without putting operatives on guard.
“Third, if a covert project was approved and monies were collected more than two years ago, are the projects still being executed? Why was no progress report filed with the president? Budgets are released yearly and unspent funds are retired yearly. There is also no record that the NIA sought exemption or got approval to keep the monies away from TSA.”
The source said the president is awaiting reports from the national security adviser, Babagana Monguno, before taking further action.
