The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has warned all those involved in the alleged sharing of the $2.1bn cash meant for the procurement of arms for the military fighting Boko Haram insurgents in the North-East to return their part of the loot or be ready to face trial.
The EFCC decided on refund of cash after retrieving some of the memoranda which the former National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd.), wrote to then President Goodluck Jonathan requesting for funds, The Nation reports.
Some of the beneficiaries of the cash include former governors Peter Odili (N100m); Rashidi Ladoja(N100m), Attahiru Bafarawa(N100m), Mahmud Aliyu Shinkafi (N100m), and Jim Nwobodo(N500m), Chief Tony Anenih(N260m); ex-PDP National Chairman Ahmadu Ali(N100m); Chief Bode George (N100m/ $30,000), Yerima Abdullahi (N100m); Chief Olu Falae (N100m); Tanko Yakassai (N63m); Gen. Bello Sarkin Yaki(N200m);
Others include, Raymond Dokpesi, Iyorchia Ayu’s company(N345m); BAM Properties (N300m); Dalhatu Investment Limited(N1.5bn); ex-PDP National Chairman Mohammed Bello Haliru, Abba Mohammed, Sagir Attahiru, serving and former members of the House of Representatives(over N600 million); former Chairman of the House of Representatives on Security and Intelligence, Bello Matawalle (N300m); ACACIA Holdings (N600m); Bashir Yuguda (N1,950,000) and many companies.
Speaking with the newspaper, a source from the EFCC explained that based on the vetting, the commission is insisting that all those implicated so far must refund the “illegal disbursement” of cash or face trial.
The source said, “We have conducted a thorough investigation and we have retrieved some of the memos sent to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan by the former National Security Adviser; none of them indicated that the cash should be for political purposes.
“There was never a memo for cash advance for political matters like campaign or election.
“We have also traced some of these funds directly to the accounts of these bigwigs or their proxy companies.
“Having gone far, we are asking them to return these funds or else, we will go after them any moment from now. I think they should respect themselves and make urgent refund.
“In the alternative, we will arrest them and arraign them in court to defend such strange allocations.
“We will retrieve every kobo given out from ONSA. It is insufficient to say somebody gave me this money. Once we trace undeserved public funds into your account or phony and proxy companies, we will ask for refund.”
On reports that former Military Administrator of Kaduna State and a Chieftain of the All Progressive Congress, APC, Gen. Lawal Jafaru Isa(rtd) refunded some amount of money, the source added: “He admitted collecting money from ONSA and he has refunded 60 per cent of the sum credited to him. I think it should be about N100 million.
“Isa is the only person who has so far refunded money among the political figures who collected funds from ONSA. We have granted him bail to allow him time to source for the balance.”
Throwing more light on the continued detention of the PDP spokesman, Metuh, the source said: “So far, Metuh has admitted the transfer of N400 million by ONSA into a company in which he has substantial interest.
“It is left to him to justify why he deserved such benefit from arms cash. We are still questioning him on other remittances into the company’s account. We are also demanding how he will refund the cash.
“Contrary to the noise outside, we did our homework very well. Anybody we bring to the EFCC this time around, we used to make sure that we have established a case against him.
“So, we don’t invite or arrest on frivolous basis. We do thorough investigation this time around.”
Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has urged its members involved in sharing the slush funds from the Office of the former National Security Adviser to return what they collected, stressing that it did not ask any of its members to collect money on its behalf during the last general elections.
This was disclosed by the party’s Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Ibrahim Jalo, in Abuja
According to Jalo, no one has claimed that the money received from from the embattled former National Security Adviser was on behalf of the party.
He said, “When people say that this party benefited from the money meant for arms, I laugh. This is because we didn’t as a party get a dime from the former NSA.
“The party therefore has nothing to do with anyone who has collected money from the former NSA. Anyone, who has collected money from him, should return it. They are on their own.
“They will face trial without the party’s coming to their rescue. PDP is a clean party that has not taken money meant for the procurement of arms and ammunition or from the Federal Government.
“All those who collected money from Dasuki used their personal companies to do so. We didn’t send them.”
The PDP deputy spokesman dared the government to further investigate the matter and come out with findings showing that the party used public funds to finance its operations.
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