* EFCC pokesman confirms case file will be reopened
* Confirmed culpable over multi- billion financial heist in NDDC by NASS
* How Late Abba Kyari, EFCC under Ibrahim Magu covered him after payments of billions as ‘tithes’ and decampment to APC
By Cletus Opukeme and Lucky Ojigbo ( Editors), Abuja
Mass looting and extreme financial intolerance seem to be part and parcel of the DNA of some Nigerians and one of those with an acute multiple financial derangement is the present Minister of Niger Delta and supervisory minister of the NDDC Senator Godswill Akpabio, former governor of Akwa Ibom state and one time Senator of the federal Republic of Nigeria.
The nation’s news airspace, newspapers, televisions, radio stations and online arena is awashed with the ongoing multi-billion naira financial mismanagement in the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), the massive looting principally supervised by the ‘Maradonic Senator ‘, a pathological schemer and diversionary ‘priest’ in the looting temple who was slapped by a woman for sexual assault.
The Senate Ad-hoc probe committee had presented its investigation and recommended immediate dissolution of the Niger Delta Development Commission Interim Management Committee tagged IMC and that the commission should be run directly by Presidency through a special committee to be inaugurated by the Niger Delta state governors.
Daily Watch went on investigation spree on the former Governor of Akwa Ibom State Senator Chief Godswill Akpabio to remind our esteemed readers and Nigerians of the seemingly inherent looting strain embedded in the inner most cell of the Man Godswill Akpabio and how before now he gallantly and fragrantly without any element of compunction looted Akwa Ibom state dry and bare during his reign as a two term executive governor of the oil rich Niger Delta state of Akwa Ibom.
Senator Akpabio has been in the news for both bad and good reasons but more of the negative overwhelming the little elements of good deeds. He was once arrested by the Economic and Financial Commission and how he escaped the EFCC net with huge bribe payment and his defection from PDP to APC as part of the soft landing negotiation prepared for him by the powers in APC and the Presidency then led by the late Abba Kyari and Ibraham Magu, the suspended Chairman of the EFCC with the intent to use him as a tool against former President Goodluck Jonathan during the 2015 Presidential polls. And in favour of the President Mohammadu Buhari a deal that help him to attain the position of a Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Daily Watch investigations confirmed that kleptomaniac Senator Akpabio was arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC on the monumental allegations of massive looting running to N108.1 billion in his two term as executive governor of Akwa Ibom following massive petitions with ample evidences against him by Akwa Ibom stakeholders.
According to Daily Watch investigations and which was also verified then by reports and findings another verifiable online medium, Premium Times, it was reported and confirmed then that Akpabio was taken in by EFCC operatives then accompanied by some few aides and a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, in the person of Ricky Tarfa.
The EFCC then commenced strategic and streneous investigations into the alleged theft of over N108.1billion of Akwa Ibom funds by the former governor this action followed a petition forwarded to the commission by an Abuja-based lawyer and activist, Leo Ekpenyong.
Ekpenyong had petitioned President Muhammadu Buhari and the EFCC, calling for Akpabio’s probe and accusing him of looting Akwa Ibom state treasury dry and totally bare
Apart from the petition from the Said Leo Ekpeyong several other indigenes of the state also demanded the investigation of the former governor which then necessitated his eventual invitation and detention by the EFCC for questioning.
In another petition to the EFCC then and also copied to President Muhammadu Buhari and the Inspector General of Police, Solomon Arase, Mr. Ekpenyong gave details of some of Mr. Akpabio’s alleged financial recklessness which was not jst shocking and multi dimensional but showed a man that was born with looting syndrome inside of him as he loots and accumulates without sense both cash and properties of monumental proportion
He alleged then that between January and December 2014, ex-governor Akpabio colluded with two of his top aides to steal a whopping N108.1 billion from the state’s treasury.
Mr. Ekpenyong told the EFCC that the former Government House Permanent Secretary, Etekamba Umoren, and the former Accountant General of the state, Udo Isobara, who were solid associates of Akpabio then colluded with Mr. Akpabio to steal the funds.
According to the petition “Between January –December 2014, it is on record that the trio of Godswill Akpabio, Mr. Etekamba Umoren and Mr. Udo Isobara, made illegal but substantial withdrawals of cash from a designated state government-owned account with Zenith Bank with account number: 1010375881 amounting to N22.1 billion,” he stated in the petition.
“It is worthy of note that reasons for such ungodly cash withdrawals against financial regulations and due process laws range between sundry use and unjustifiable expenditures by Godswill Akpabio and his numerous surrogates and proxies.
“For example, a whopping N18 billion was withdrawn fraudulently from the state FAAC account with the United Bank for Africa in trenches of N10 million and above by Mr. Isobara in a surreptitious manner to conceal their dishonest intention.”
Ekpenyong said Umoren was rewarded with an appointment as Government House chief of staff and later secretary to the state government under Udom Emmanuel’s administration when the going was good between the duo who assisted Emmanual Udom into Power then to help hide his criminal looting and acquisition of wealth from the tills of Akwa Ibom State
The legal practitioner further alleged that over N50 billion of Akwa Ibom funds were spent by the former governor during the Udom’s first term election.
He further accused Akpabio of single handedly and personally withdrawing N18 billion from the state coffers under the guise of special services, reception of very important guests and sundry items.
“The cumulative aggregate of these monies stolen by Godswill Akpabio from the coffers of government as pocket money then was equal to the annual budget of some states in Nigeria put together,” the petition reads.
He listed the bouquet multi dimensional assets acquired by the former governor through surrogates to include a multi-billion naira mansion at Plot 5 Okogosi Spring Close, off Katsina-Ala Crescent, Maitama-Abuja, a multi-billion naira mansionette at Plot 28 Colorado Close, Maitama, Abuja and another multi-billion naira mansion at 22 Probyn Road, Ikoyi, Lagos.
Others include a multi-billion naira mansionette at Plot 23 Olusegun Aina Street, Parkview, Lagos and a multi-billion naira 25 storey building at Akin Adesola Street,Victoria Island, Lagos.
In Akwa Ibom, Mr. Ekpenyong was harassed, intimidated and arrested by the police, but the then Inspector General Police Mr. Solomon Arase came to his rescue as directive was given to the Akwa Ibom police command to free the petitioner from police cell who as accused on frame up frivolous charges by Senator Gidswill Akpabio.
Shockingly and shamefully these and several Petitions were diligently investigated by the EFCC under the suspended Ibraham Magu and confirmed to be real with the EFCC even going on air and the Media to corroborate all the accusations and plots to finally charge the notorious looter to court before the intervention of the Late Abba Kyari who was the Chief of Staff to the President stopping all actions on the part of Magu against Akpabio after the Senator himself had undergone a serious but rigorous settlement and payments of several Billions as tithes to the Late Abba Kyari to end all plans against him by the EFCC and eventually decamping to the APC to assist President Buhari to become the President of Nigeria for the 2nd term a feet that earned him the Present Ministerial Position as a Minister under the same Buhari’s administration that was totally conscious of his history of looting in Akwa Ibom and rather than consider that gave him another portfolio to continue what he Akpabio knows best and which is in sync with his DNA.
Today, like a leopard that can change its skin, the same Akpabio had been found wanting by the probe of the Senate and the House of Representative ad-hoc committee investigating grand and stupendous looting of the NDDC a Parastatals under the Niger Delta Ministry to which Godswil Akpabio almost left his esteemed position of a Minister to become more of the Accounting Officer of the NDDC there bye blowing over 40 billion Naira within months in very strange and funny circumstances with the fainting Director of the NDDC Chief Pondei. The fainting too expert analyzed was staged managed by Akpabioto evade questions from the house of representatives Adhoc probe committee as he obviously found himself in big mess for unable to give account of billions looted by Akpabio through the naive Professor.
What many people don’t know is that Akpabio’s audacity to indulge in this whirlwind of looting and self aggrandizement is not just borne out of that inborn greed and a DNA of wealth accumulation inside of him but as a result of his closeness to the Late Abba Kyari (as confirmed by Akpabio himself during his testimony that he had to sack Joy Nunieh as a result f the approval of Abba Kyari) a member of the Presidential Cabal in the Villa to whom he normally liaise with and pay special financial allegiance fee to until his death and by so totally confident in his looting spree as evident with the NDDC blatant looting with the firm belief and conviction that no one can touch him as he is an anointed son of the powers that be as the remnant of members of the Cabal still sitting in the Presidential Villa represented by Mamman Duara and Yusuf Sabiu Tunde who has been receiving gratifications and payments from the Minister from majority of his loots as with several Ministers and heads of Parastatals under this administration where corruption has now become a new way of life with the notorious Akpabio till date even with the odious smell all over sill sitting comfortably as a minister if the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
For several respondents in Akwa Ibom who spoke with our correspondent have expressed joy over the rebranded EFCC effort and boldness to reopen Akpabio massive looting case file of Akwa Ibom resources.
Àkwa Ibom activist, Comrade Joshua said ” Akwa Ibom citizens are still suffering from the trauma over the massive looting of the state by former governor Senator Godswill Akpabio. We want the reopening of the case file of EFCC Akapbio’s financial probe on N108.1bn looting of Akpabio double tenure as governor of Akwa Ibom state. He said Niger Delta problem was largely created by people of the region as the region resources were plundered by sons and daughters of the region.
“” If former governor of Delta state Chief James Ibori’s travail was on the sane looting of state treasury, why Akpabio who stole more than James Ibori be glorified in Nigeria? We want his stolen wealth returned to
For Darlington Nwauju, Spokesman Niger Delta Rights advocate. The group who made major expose of Akpabio’s massive looting in NDDC at the Reps ashoc probe panel public hearing told Daily Watch, ” Akpabio must account for every billion looted in NDDC and Akwa Ibom state. We want EFCC to reopen the case file he bribed not to be reopened by this new EFCC boss. The same thing to the case of former Rivers state Governor, Peter Odili is one of such cases that should be vigorously pursued to a logical conclusion”
Continuing “You cannot have a public official accused of malfeasance go to the Courts to seek perpetual injunction to stop his investigations. Such nonsense must stop” He told Daily Watch on Facebook chat.
Daily watch investigations within and around the seat of Power confirms that except for the pressure of the First Lady Aisha Buhari and the new Chief of Staff to the President that seemed to be in shock over the whole Akpabiogate almost everyone under this administration in the Presidential Villa doesn’t seem shock by the extra ordinary expose on how Nigeria commonwealth is be carted away buy one man with a born DNA to steal and loot because almost all close associates of the President have benefitted one way or the other from the Akpabio’s loot and with which he seemed to have stylishly hold them all to his side such that it would that huge guts on the part of the first lady and the Chie of staff to the President to see the crude looter vomit all he has looted and moved to face the EFCC for all the crimes he has committed over the years not just with the NDDC alone but his pilfering of several billions from the till of the Akwa Ibom Vaults like the case of the NDDC.
Daily watch reached out to the EFCC under the new Acting Chairman on the Akpabiogate under the NDDC and his eight years heist during his rule over the Akwa Ibom people for which the EFCC has all the files and evidences but has refused to act under Magu and the new helmsman confirmed that the Akpabio’s case is not closed as all the details of his Financial recklessness and dossiers of his eight years in Akwa Ibom are been dusted already for re-analyses and re-investigation with the simple aim of putting him in his right place if actually he is found wanting in any way.
Daily watch also tried reaching out to the crowd of Presidential aide on why President Buhari that claims to be a non conformist when it comes to corruption has remain mute over the series of exposure, confession and open agreement of monumental looting by Akpabio and his ilk’s all through the public probe by the National Assembly when in better clime he should by now have been shown the way out to face charges for all his lootings but got no tangible response from them.
Last week, the ICPC had swung into NDDC corruption case files and had already detained two directors for public fund diversion running to millions.
Additional report by Steve Seigha, Benin and Alfred Kayode, Lagos
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