NIA Did not Get Ikoyi Money From CBN — Okorafor
The Central Financial institution of Nigeria, CBN, has dismissed insinuations that the N13 billion found by the Financial and Monetary Crimes Fee, EFCC, in a luxurious residence at Osborne Highway, Ikoyi, Lagos was moved immediately fromthe financial institution to the Nationwide Intelligence Company, NIA.
The quantity was the complete of the $forty two million, £27,000 and N23 million recovered from the house.
The CBN’s response got here in opposition to the backdrop of experiences that the NIA claimed that it received the cash from the CBN.
This is even because the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Rivers State yesterday described as mischievous, allegations by the trio of Governors Nyesom Wike of Rivers State, Ayo Fayose of Ekiti State, and Mr Femi Fani-Kayode, that the Minister of Transportation, Mr Chibuike Amaechi, was proprietor of the $forty three billion recovered from the Ikoyi condominium.
Also yesterday, Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, demanded a public apology, along with the sums of N750 million and N500 million respectively from former Aviation Minister, Femi Fani-Kayode, and media aide to Ekiti Governor, Lere Olayinka, for linking him with the Ikoyi, Lagos money stash.
Asked to make clear the CBN’s position within the disbursement of the funds, spokesman of the financial institution, Isaac Okorafor, instructed on-line portal, Premium Occasions, that the apex financial institution offers immediately with banks and never authorities businesses or people.
He mentioned: "It is true the Central Financial institution of Nigeria points mint-recent notes, however it's only to banks. After that (issuance to banks), CBN doesn't know which of their prospects they (the banks) give these notes to and for what goal.
"I can not say if the notes the NIA is claiming got here from the CBN. So, I can't have the ability to reply questions on it for now, besides I obtain a selected request."
Meanwhile, the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Rivers State has described as mischievous allegations by the trio of governors Nyesom Wike, Ayo Fayose and Mr Fani Kayode that the Minister of Transportation, Mr Chibuike Amaechi was proprietor of the forty three billion dollars recovered at a luxurious condominium in Lagos State.
Chairman of the occasion within the state, Dr Davies Ikanya, mentioned the trio have been simply attempting to tarnish the popularity of the previous governor with the allegations, including that Amaechi was additionally not the proprietor of the luxurious condominium.
The assertion, signed by media aide to the Chairman, Chief Eze Chukwuemeka, additionally dared Governor Wike to go forward together with his risk to drag the federal authorities to court docket over the money.
"For the avoidance of doubt, we want to state that Amaechi has nothing to do with both the Ikoyi property or the large sums of cash found there by EFCC.
"We urge Nigerians to disregard the antics of the likes of Wike, Fayose and Fani-Kayode. Now that the revealing info earlier than the general public area disassociate Amaechi from this, we, hereby, request the trio to formally apologise to Amaechi for this false accusation inside two weeks or we could also be left with no different possibility than to temporary our legal professionals accordingly.
"Meanwhile, we urge Wike and his confused authorities in Rivers State to perform their menace to sue the Federal Authorities, if by the tip of seven days the contentious enormous sum will not be returned to Rivers State authorities or else they need to disguise their ugly faces in disgrace if they need to fail to do as threatened."
Amaechi sues Fani-Kayode, Fayose, Olayinka for N1.250bn
However, Transportation Minister, Rotimi Amaechi, has filed a N500 million go well with in opposition to Femi Fani-Kayode, a former minister of aviation, and Lere Olayinka, spokesman of Ayo Fayose, governor of Ekiti state.
The duo had accused Amaechi of proudly owning the $forty three million which the Financial and Monetary Crimes Fee, EFCC, discovered within the luxurious condominium at Ikoyi.
In separate letters to Fani-Kayode and Olayinka, counsel to Amaechi, Lateef Fagbemi, stated the allegations towards his shopper had been false.
Fagbemi mentioned his consumer had by no means owned a house in Lagos State, and that the "misleading information" was able to tarnishing Amaechi’s popularity.
"The story as uploaded by you is to our data, blatantly false, malicious and is geared toward impeaching the credit score of our consumer, a two-time speaker of Rivers State of Home of Meeting, a two-time governor of Rivers State and present minister of the federation.
"Our shopper neither owns the home the place the money was discovered and your story and declare are unfounded,’’ learn a letter despatched to each males.
Amaechi’s counsel stated the publication constituted a libel and was defamatory "aimed at impinging our client’s character and credit score within the eyes of Nigerians and foreigners.’’
No dropping sleep over swimsuit, says Fani-Kayode
Reacting, Fani-Kayode in an announcement by his Particular Adviser on Media, Jude Ndukwe, mentioned: "We have been inundated with calls regarding a couple of risk by Rotimi Amaechi to sue Chief Fani-Kayode for defamation over the $forty three million difficulty.
‘’We will not be in any sleep over this matter. We haven't acquired any court docket processes or letters from Amaechi however after we accomplish that, our legal professionals will reply vigorously and appropriately.’’
I’m not conscious of any suit— Olayinka
Also reacting to Amaechi’s go well with, Particular Assistant to Ekiti State Governor on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, mentioned he was not conscious of any go well with originating from Mr Amaechi.
Olayinka mentioned: "I am not conscious of any letter, I'm not conscious of any swimsuit."
Falana: NIA shouldn’t play on intelligence of Nigerians
The federal authorities could be jeopardising its whistle-blowing coverage if it accepts the Nationwide Intelligence Agency’s declare over the monies not too long ago recovered by the Financial and Monetary Crimes Fee (EFCC), says Femi Falana.
Following the invention of $forty three million, N22 million and £27,000 in a residential house in Ikoyi, Lagos, the NIA reportedly claimed possession of the stashed funds.
Reacting in a press release on Sunday, the senior advocate of Nigeria (SAN) questioned why the funds, if it actually belongs to the NIA, was not saved in "a secure within the effectively-fortified" workplace of the nationwide safety adviser.
The human rights lawyer additionally questioned why the NIA had not briefed anti-graft companies concerning the funds because the whistle-blowing coverage was launched.
Falana additionally suggested the Rivers state authorities, whose governor, Nyesom Wike claimed possession of the funds, to file an affidavit to the impact on the federal excessive court docket.
The assertion learn: "In 2014, two businessmen (an Israeli and a Nigerian) smuggled $9.Three million to South Africa from Nigeria. It was alleged that the personal jet with which the fund was hauled was leased from the then President of Christian Affiliation of Nigeria, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor.
"Both suspects have been arrested whereas the fund was seized. The extra sum of $5.7 million despatched to South Africa by means of a financial institution by the duo was additionally seized. Though the Federal Authorities was not implicated within the switch of the fund, the Workplace of the Nationwide Safety Adviser (ONSA) later claimed that the $15 million was meant for the acquisition of arms from a agency in South Africa.
"As the ONSA couldn't justify the brazen contravention of the cash Laundering Act of South Africa, the fund was confiscated on the orders of a Excessive Court docket in Pretoria. When tried final yr to affirm from the Lawyer-Normal of the Federation if the forfeited sum of $15 million had been recovered from the President Jacob Zuma regime, I used to be requested to direct my enquiry to the ONSA.
"It is hoped that historical past isn't repeating itself with respect to the embarrassing try by the Nationwide Intelligence Company (NIA) to assert the sum of $forty three million, N22 million and £27,000 seized by the EFCC final week from a flat at a constructing in Osborne Highway, Ikoyi.
"The Federal Authorities owes the nation a responsibility to handle this matter with utmost transparency and circumspection.nigeriatradehub.gov.ng The NIA shouldn't be allowed to play on the collective intelligence of the Nigerian folks. If the Federal Authorities believes the cock and bull story of the NIA, the hazard is that comparable hidden funds are going to be formally protected, thereby making a mockery of the whistle-blowing coverage of the federal government.
"We should keep away from a state of affairs whereby enormous funds hidden in abandoned buildings and apartments are stated to be "operational funds" stored by sure safety companies. If the EFCC had refused to grab the fund final week, the whistle-blower may have rushed to the media to accuse the Buhari administration of maintaining stolen cash for the 2019 basic elections.
"Apart from the NIA, the Rivers State authorities can be laying declare to the fund. However as a substitute of giving the Federal Authorities a seven-day ultimatum handy over the money to the Rives State authorities, Governor Nyesom Wike ought to instruct his legal professional-normal to file an affidavit on the Federal Excessive Courtroom.
"But earlier than doing that, he ought to rigorously examine the case of FRN v CBN (unreported) the place the applying of the Delta State authorities to say the bribe of $15 million paid to the then EFCC chairman, Mr. Nuhu Ribadu, by a former governor of the state was dismissed because the applicant was unable to show that it owned the cash.
"On a extra critical observe, are Nigerians to consider that an company of the federal authorities saved about $50 million in an residence with out enough safety personnel to guard the cash? Why was the fund not stored in a secure within the effectively-fortified ONSA?africatime.com When was the Nationwide Intelligence Company exempted from the Treasury Single Account (TSA)?
"If the DG of NIA has simply gone to transient President Buhari that the fund was collected from former President Goodluck Jonathan for a particular challenge, why did the briefing not happen earlier than now? For the reason that NIA is accountable for exterior safety why was it essential to execute tasks within the nation? How a lot of such fund is being saved in non-public houses by the NIA and different safety companies?
"Since the whistle-blowing coverage of the Federal Authorities commenced why has the NIA not deemed it match to take the anti-graft businesses into confidence with respect to the fund being saved in Ikoyi for the so known as covert operations?
"Is the Federal Authorities not being uncovered to ridicule when corrupt public officers are competing with authorities departments to cover hundreds of thousands of United States dollars in dump websites and ‘safe’ apartments? Anyway, because the Federal Excessive Court docket has granted the applying filed by the EFCC for an interim forfeiture of the fund, it's not an inner affair of the Buhari administration.
