A former Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Usman Jibrin, has raised the alarm that operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, were after his life.
Jibrin claimed that the anti-graft agency, acting on order from above had planned to plant incriminating evidence against him so he could be jailed.
DAILY POST recalls that the EFCC had in September 2016 arraigned Jibrin and two other Rear-Admirals, Bala Mshelia (rtd) and Shehu Ahmadu (rtd) before Justice A. S Umar of the FCT High Court sitting in Maitama, Abuja over a 4-count charge bordering on criminal conspiracy.
Jibrin and the other two accused persons were docked alongside Habour Bay International Limited, a company said to have conspired with them to commit the fraud.
The naval chiefs were accused of buying a house worth N600 million while still in office from the account of Naval Engineering Services without the said purchase contract being captured in the budget.
However, Justice A. S. Umar granted Jibrin, and two others who were tried for alleged criminal conspiracy bail in the sum of N100 million each.
Few months after his freedom, the official of the EFCC on February 22 allegedly raided the residence of the former Chief of Naval Staff, in Ayingba, the seat of the Kogi State University.
The EFCC’s operation allegedly led by DSP Madaki left broken soak away and damaged ceiling after their search, which did not yield any result.
However, Jibrin in a petition obtained by DAILY POST, claimed that he had it on good authority that the anti-graft agency is being used by a certain cabal, who is very uncomfortable with his freedom because of the way he fought against illegal bunkering and oil theft while in office.
In the petition, addressed to the EFCC, Acting Chairman, Ibrahim Magu and copied to the Acting President, Yemi Osinbajo, Senate President, Bukola Saraki, House of Reps Speaker, Yakubu Dogara as well as the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, and other security agencies, Jibrin dared the EFCC to provide any proof of corruption leveled against him while in office.
He insisted that he had never collected any bribe from oil thieves or illegal bunkers during his service years in the Nigerian Navy.
He said, “I regret to state that my life has being under threat by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) since my retirement from active service of the Nigerian Navy on July 14, 2015.
This is sequel to the fact that some cabals are hiding under the executive order of Mr. Presdent to settle scores against me on the perceived injustice allegedly meted on them by the Nigerian Navy during my tenure as the Chief of the Naval Staff.
“I decided to put my thought into writing because of information made available to me from reliable sources that plans have been concluded to plant incriminating evidence against me by the EFCC.”
Jibrin added that the revelation pushed him to the wall to speak out especially the recent raids on his private property by the anti-graft agencies, stressing that “My life is as stake, my dignity is at take, my integrity and name is as stake.”
“I now have it in a good authority that your organization is being used by a cabal, who are very uncomfortable with my freedom and threatened by my unblemished record as former Chief of Naval Staff, who fought them to a stand still in their illegal bunkering and oil theft. Of course, your organization working in tandem with the directives issued by these cabals who have concluded plans to plant incriminating materials including forging currencies, arms and ammunitions in any or some of my premises/properties and then come up with a trump up charge of financial crime or treasonable felony or illegal possession of weapons/firearms against me.
He noted that the EFCC had not disclosed to him if there was any petition against him or the subject matter of their investigation against him that resulted to the surprise endless search on his properties.
He added, “It is worth noting that the EFCC had conducted searches on me in eight locations without discovering incriminating evidence bordering on financial crimes even when those raids were conducted without search warrant.”
He recalled that between January 2014 and July 2014, he arrested 60 vessels carrying out oil theft and illegal bunkering and handed them over to the EFCC for prosecution.
He subsequently called on the acting Chairman of the EFCC, Ibrahim Magu to “Put a stop to the threat to his life and consistent harassment and the destruction of my properties under the guise of some undisclosed investigations.
“Come out clearly on the allegation against me and officially inform me of any petition against me, in which I am being investigated to enable me defend my self.”
He also prayed the EFCC to stop any plan to plant incriminating evidence in any of his premises aimed at incarcerating and putting him out of circulation.
“Finally, let me remind you that the commission has already charged me to court over a Navy Guest House, which was a safe house, bought by the Navy under my watch, which I am currently standing trial and defending myself before. Contrary to your perception, not all Nigerians are corrupt,” the petition added.
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