The Nigerian Police Force, NPF, has concluded plans to arraign two allies of an ex-militant Commander, Director and former Deputy Director in the office of the Auditor General of the Federation in court over alleged conspiracy to assassinate the Auditor-General for the Federation, Mr. Samuel Ukura.
Also to be arraigned for the same allegation is one Mr. Jude Tabai, who served as Special Adviser to former President Goodluck Jonathan while he was the Bayelsa State Governor, Daily Independent reports.
A police report, contained in file number CR: 3000/x/FHQ/ABJ/VOL 179/143 and dated 12th February, 2015, listed those linked to the alleged plot to include, Prince Herbert Amah, Kehinde Gold, Timothy Adedeji Osonuga and Godday Iwebuka Daniel.
In the 42-page report titled, “Police Investigation Report. Re: Criminal Conspiracy, Intimidation and Threat to Life”, it was stated that the police acted based on a petition written by John Awagu, of The Shepherd Law Chambers on 26th November 2014 to the Deputy Inspector- General of Police, Criminal Investigation Department.
This was subsequently endorsed and forwarded to the Commissioner of Police Administration to deal via letter ‘N0. CB:7000/x/FHQ/ABJ/VOL.322/23 on 01/12/2014. An Assistant Superintendent of Police Dada Adejube was assigned the case file to lead the investigation.
The petition read, “We have been reliably informed, that sometimes on Sunday the 23rd of November, 2014, when he came back from an assignment abroad; he was repeatedly harassed by a barrage of intimidating threatening text messages on his cell phone that similar threats were again made on the following Monday and subsequently Tuesday 25th November, 2014. That all the threatening messages emanated from a particular cell phone”.
According to the report, the Police used the Call Data record, photograph of the principal suspect, that of his associates, name and address to arrest the two suspects, namely Prince Albert Amah and Kehinde Gold, both allies of ex-militant Commander, Boyloaf.
The report further revealed that the arrest of the two principal suspects, led to that of the Director in charge of treasury in the office of the Auditor General for the Federation, Mr Timothy Adedeji Osonuga, a now retired Deputy Director in the same office, Mr Godday Iwebuka Daniel, and Mr. Jude Tabai a former Special Adviser to former President, Goodluck Jonathan when he held sway as Bayelsa State Governor.
The Police said in their report that one Techno phone and a Nokia phone were obtained as exhibits.
The Police report further read: The complainant was said to have been harassed repeatedly with intimidating text messages on 23 /11/2014 when he returned from an assignment. After two days, precisely on the 25/11/2014, he received another text message again both messages emanated from a cell phone.”
It continued, “The content read thus, “our mission is to ensure the removal of the Auditor General by every means available to us including physical and spiritual means.
“Arrested suspects made statements under word of caution to the team. In their respective statements, the following persons were indicted namely Jude Tabai, Daniel Godday Iwebuka, Timothy Osonuga of Auditor General for the Federation office”.
According to statements recorded by the Police during investigations, the principal suspects alleged that Mr. Osonuga and Iwebuka are masterminds of the plot to either kill or forcefully remove the Auditor General for the Federation Mr Ukura from office.
Both Osonuga and Iwebuka, in their written statements, denied the allegations levelled against them by the two principal suspects.
Mr Osonuga, who is the Director in charge of Treasury in the office of the Auditor General for the Federation, is due for retirement on 23rd of March, 2016 and next to the Auditor General in order of seniority while Mr. Daniel Iwebuka is now a retired Deputy Director alleged to be working for Mr. Ononuga.
This denial came on the heels of a written statement by the principal suspect, Mr Kehinde Gold who confessed he was trained by an ex-militant, Boy Loaf and was contacted by the retired Deputy Director Mr Iwebuka, who was said to be acting on behalf of the Director of Treasure Mr Ononuga.
He said Iwebuka instructed him to ensure that the Auditor General for the Federation Mr. Ukura is removed from office by every means possible to pave way for him to take over as Auditor General for the Federation even if it is in acting capacity.
In another confessional statement, another suspect, Prince Herbert Amah told the Police that himself and Mr Kehinde Gold attended a meeting with some staff of Auditor Generals’ office and recorded the whole conversation where they were planning to cause the removal of the Auditor General from office.
Another suspect, Price Amah who lives at the Nigerian National petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Estate Otako in Abuja was quoted in the police report to have admitted sending a threat message to the Auditor General for the Federation Mr. Samuel Ukura asking him “to resign”.
He was quoted in the report to have accused the Auditor General of “giving jobs to people that are not supporting the President (Good Luck Jonathan) but rather fighting the President and that we were going to hold a protest against him for the President to remove him that his stay in office is long overdue”.
Police findings as contained in their report reveal in parts; that the two suspects, Prince Albert Amah and Kehinde Gold were formerly members of Niger Delta militant group under the commandership of one Boyloaf and have benefited from the amnesty programme.
“That the two suspects had earlier attended a meeting with the then Deputy Director Accounts of the Auditor General for the federation’s office Mr Daniel Godday Iwebuka who invited them to his office at Treasury House where he claimed to be acting on the directive of his Director Mr Osonuga and employed the service of the two suspects on modality to oust the AGF out of office citing tenure of the AGF as an excuse.
“That the arrested suspects fingered two officers of the Auditor General’s Office as the masterminds of the act; they are Mr Osonuga Adedeji Timothy and Mr Daniel Godday.
“In view of the above facts, a prima facie case of criminal conspiracy, intimidation and threat to life has been established against the duo of Prince Amah Herbert and Kehinde Gold. These offences are contrary to sections 97,397 and 398 of the penal code law”. The investigation report by the Police was endorsed by a Commissioner of Police in charge of administration at the Force Criminal and Investigation department, Oyeleye Olufemi.
Given the sensitivity of the case, the case file was forwarded to the “Force Criminal Investigation Department for vetting, advice and to proffer necessary charges against the suspects accordingly,” read the report.
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