FG releases fresh 23 names of alleged looters

The Federal Government on Sunday released a fresh list containing 23
names of alleged looters .
It said the list of alleged looters which it released on Friday was
based on verifiable facts, including the amount involved , the date
the amount was collected and from where it was taken .
The names released on Friday were the National Chairman of the PDP ,
Uche Secondus , who allegedly collected N 200 m from the office of the
former National Security Adviser .
Secondus had, however, denied the allegation and gave Mohammed 72
hours to retract the statement and also pay him N 1 . 5 b as damages .
Others included a former PDP Financial Secretary ( N 600m ) .
The rest were a former PDP National Publicity Secretary , Olisah Metuh
, who is on trial for allegedly collecting N 1 . 4 b from NSA office ;
Dr. Raymond Dokpesi, who is on trial for taking N 2 . 1 bn from NSA;
and a former SSA to President Jonathan , Dudafa Waripamo - Owei, who
is on trial over N 830m kept in accounts of four different companies
The last was former President Jonathan 's Cousin , Robert Azibaola,
who was said to have collected $ 40m from NSA office .
While releasing a fresh list of alleged looters in Lagos on Sunday ,
the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed , in a
statement said the Friday 's list "was strategically released as a
teaser . "
He said , '' At the press conference where the list was released , I
did say it was a tip of the iceberg… the Federal Government has a
large number of alleged looters on its list ."
The minister said the PDP 's reaction to the looters ' list has shown
that its recent apology was an election- induced act, to deceive
unsuspecting Nigerians to vote for the party in the 2019 general
elections .
Mohammed said , "The hysterical and panicky reaction from the PDP has
shown that the party is not sincere about its choreographed apology.
Were it not the case, the party would have followed in the footsteps
of one of its leaders , Senator Ibrahim Mantu , who simply owned up to
his role in the party 's rigging in the past elections and said he had
turned a new leaf.
Mohammed said the Federal Government would neither be intimidated nor
blackmailed into silence , adding that it would not rest until all
those who looted the public treasury had been brought to justice .
Releasing the fresh list, the minister said based on the Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission' s investigation, N 126bn , $ 1 .5 bn and
£ 5 . 5 m were allegedly embezzled through Sambo Dasuki office as the
NSA.
The amounts, it alleged , were apart from the ongoing $ 2 . 1 bn
military equipment scandal .
Mohammed further alleged that a former Petroleum Resources Minister
Diezani Alison -Madueke , "in just one of the cases the EFCC is
investigating involving her ; about N 23 bn is alleged to have been
embezzled. She is also involved in the Strategic Alliance Contracts of
the NNPC, where the firms of Jide Omokore and Jide Aluko got oil
blocks , but never paid government taxes and royalty . About $ 3 bn
was involved. The Federal Government is charging Omokore and Aluko and
will use all legal instruments , local and international , to ensure
justice ."
He said the EFCC allegedly recovered N 13 .9 bn and N 4 .8 bn from an
ex - army chief, Lt. Gen . Kenneth Minimah ( retd.) in cash and
property .
Other names on the list are Lt. Gen . Azubuike Ihejirika ( alleged N 4
.5 bn ; N 29 m recovered by the EFCC ); Alex Barde, a former Chief of
Defence Staff , accused of stealing N 8 bn ( EFCC recovered almost N 4
bn in cash and property ); Inde Dikko, a former Comptroller General,
Customs , accused of taking N 40 bn ( N 1 .1 bn recovered in cash and
property ) .
The Federal Government also named Air Marshal Adesola Amosun, who
allegedly got N 21 .4 bn ( N 2 . 8 bn recovered in cash ; 28 property
and three vehicles recovered ); Senator Bala Abdulkadir , a former FCT
Minister , who allegedly collected N 5 bn ( interim forfeiture order
on some property allegedly secured ); Senator Stella Oduah, who
allegedly got N 9 .8 bn ( interim forfeiture order on some property
secured) .
The statement read further , "A former Niger State Governor ,
Babangida Aliyu took N 1 .6 bn from the NSA , while Senator Jonah Jang
, a former Plateau State Governor got N 12 .5 bn .
"Bashir Yuguda, a former Minister of State for Finance got N 1 .5 bn ,
but $ 829, 800 has been recovered ."
The government also named Senator Peter Nwaboshi ( N 1 .5 bn ) , Aliyu
Usman , a former Dasuki 's aide at NSA ( N 512m ); Ahmad Idris , a
former Dasuki' s Personal Assistant ( N 1 .5 bn ); Rasheed Ladoja, a
former Oyo State governor ( N 500 m ); and Tom Ikimi , N 300 m .
Others are Femi Fani - Kayode ( N 866m ) , Hassan Tukur , former PPS
to President Jonathan ( $ 1 . 7 m ); Nenadi Usman ( N 1 .5 bn ) ,
Benedicta Iroha ( N 1 . 7 bn) , Aliyu Usman Jawaz , an ally of Dasuki
( N 882m ) and Godknows Igali ( N 7 bn) . "
FG taking over court duties —PDP
The Peoples Democratic Party , in his reaction, accused the Federal
Government of taking over duties of courts in the country .
It said the release of the names of those undergoing trial as
"confirmed looters " by the Federal Government was an indication that
the government had taken over the functions of the judiciary .
National Publicity Secretary of the PDP , Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan , said
that the Federal Government , instead of speaking of how President
Muhammadu Buhari got money for his election in 2015, had continued to
attack the PDP and its leaders .
He said , " We are not interested in whatever names they are releasing
; the government is taking over the duties of the judiciary .
"This government is the worst we have had in the history of our
nation. Nigerians will have to endure it till 2019 and vote it out. "
However, a former FCT minister, Bala , had denied the allegations as
he had pleaded not guilty to the six counts preferred against him by
the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission when he was arraigned
before the High Court in Abuja in May 2017.
When contacted , Oduah disconnected calls made to her telephone line.
She also did not reply text and WhatsApp messages sent to her.
But Oduah had, in a statement she issued in February , denied
diversion of the fund under her watch as Minister of Aviation .
Calls made to Jang and Nwaboshi rang out. They had yet to reply a text
message sent to them as of press time.
In his reaction, Ikime said , "I am in England. I am not in Nigeria .
I don' t know about it .
Ihejirika ' s lawyer , Mr. Nnoruka Udechukwu ( SAN) , could not be
reached on Sunday .
However, Udechukwu had told our one of our correspondents that the
Federal Government was on a witch -hunt .
In his reaction, Fani - Kayode said the Federal Government was
resorting to cheap blackmail because it could not secure his
conviction in court .
The former minister said , "The names that should be there is that of
President Muhammadu Buhari, Yemi Osinbajo and third, Rotimi Amaechi,
Babatunde Fashola , Lai Mohammed , Babachir Lawal , Abdulrasheed
Maina, Abdulrahman Dambazau and Isa Jafaru .
"All these persons either donated money or received money during the
2015 elections and these were public funds ."
Fani - Kayode said he received N 800m from the then Director of
Finance of the Goodluck Jonathan Campaign Organisation, Senator Nenadi
Usman .
He , however, argued that the money was not from the government , but
from private individuals .