The claim by the National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Olisa Metuh, last Tuesday in Abuja, that his life was under threat has been described as “unnecessary and an attempt to pre-empt his arrest’’ by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
An operative of the anti-graft agency told ThisDay that: “We have been able to establish that two of his registered companies were used to launder money to some key members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). He has several questions to answer. And we will soon invite him officially for interrogation.
“We believe the alarm he raised on Tuesday was unnecessary and it was an attempt to pre-empt our move. But he has failed. Some of these suspects believe they can use the media to forestall our determination to get them to account for their dirty deals and it would not work for them.’’
The source, who is said to be involved in the ongoing investigation of high profile personalities involved in the alleged arms deals by the former National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd), told the newspaper that more “key leaders of the PDP, including a member of the party’s board of trustees,’’ would soon be summoned for questioning.
“One or two of them are currently outside the country; we have requested them to come and clarify some issues suspected to be money laundering,’’ the source added.
Metuh, had last Tuesday during a news conference in Abuja, alleged that the government of President Muhammadu Buhari was out to silence him, stressing that “this news briefing is expedient, taken into consideration the times we find ourselves, especially as they relate to me. In the last seven months, as opposition spokesperson, I have been hounded, harassed, intimidated and threatened severally.
“In order to avoid personal and family pressure, I had refrained from bringing them to the public domain.”
Metuh, who claimed that information available to him, had given him cause to believe that some persons in power were out to silence him, said: “In this regard, I note that I never had any contract dealings with the immediate past federal government or any of its security apparatus. As the National Publicity Secretary of our party, the then leader of our party and President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria invited me and directed that I carry out some assignment relating to my office and he funded it.
“It is important to note that the former president was fully satisfied with the way and manner I handled the assignment. Finally, I reiterate that the present government should not use the apparatus of state power to settle personal scores,” he stated.
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