The anti-corruption campaign of the President Muhammadu
Buhari-led administration appears to have taken a bigger
bite as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has
secretly frozen the bank accounts of former President
Goodluck Jonathan’s associates, SUNDAY PUNCH has
learnt.
One of our correspondents learnt that the move by the anti-
graft agency was aimed at scuttling the tranfer of the
alleged looted funds from the accounts for other reasons.
A member of a key transition committee of the All
Progressives Congress, who spoke to one of our
correspondents on condition of anonymity, on Friday, said
the need had become necessary in view of the magnitude of
the alleged theft of public resources by the affected
persons.
The APC chieftain spoke on the heels of the condemnation
of President Buhari’s ongoing probe of the last
administration of the Peoples Democratic Party and
recovery of funds looted by public officials.
The affected accounts, SUNDAY PUNCH learnt, belonged to
Keketobou Foundation, owned by former Special Adviser to
Jonathan on Niger Delta and Coordinator of the Amnesty
Programme, Mr. Kingsley Kuku, and Mieka Divers Limited
as well as Global West Vessels Limited reportedly owned by
ex-Niger Delta warlord, Mr. Government Ekpompolo, aka
Tompolo.
Further investigations by our correspondents also showed
that one of Jonathan’s close allies, Mr. Kime Engozi’s
accounts had also been flagged.
Engozi is the contractor handling the N30bn Maritime
University contract at Okerenkoko in the Gbaramatu area of
Delta State.
Besides, funds already approved for the commencement of
the university are said to have remained frozen in a
Yenagoa branch of the United Bank for Africa Plc.
The NIMASA Technical College at Okoloba, also in Delta
State, is also said to be facing an uncertain future as there
are fears that the institution might be scrapped.
Accounts linked to the former Director General of NIMASA,
Dr. Patrick Akpobolokemi, are also said to have been frozen
by the EFCC.
The source, who is now in the Presidency, said although he
could not confirm if Jonathan’s recent meeting with Buhari
discussed the issue, the action to ‘flag’ the said accounts
might have been for security reasons.
The source also said the opposition Peoples Democratic
Party was ignorant of the workings of the Federal
Government, especially on security.
The source added, “This is not a matter of lobby or any
politics that should be shoved aside; what is at stake is the
nation’s security and nothing more.
“When the PDP says the current anti-corruption drive is
selective, we continue to laugh at them because they do not
seem to know what is at stake at all. If only they know, all
the noise they have been making won’t be made at all.
“How many of these PDP elements know that just one
individual benefitted from a single NIMASA transaction to
the tune of N13bn, not to talk of about $57m he was said to
have benefitted from controversial contract deals?
“Are these the things they ask us to sweep under the
carpet? Certainly, we cannot because apart from the angle
of the impunity and financial recklessness, does it make any
sense if any responsible government allows such
individuals, who had threatened war in the event that
Jonathan did not win to have such huge sums in bank
vaults? Such accounts must be flagged, of course.”
However, the PDP has asked President Buhari to follow the
rule of law in his government’s determination to fight
corruption.
The National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Mr. Olisa
Metuh, in an interview with one of our correspondents on
Saturday night, asked the President not to spare anyone,
including his friends and members of the ruling APC in the
crusade.
Metuh said, “We are not against the war against corruption,
but what we are saying is that the President must follow the
rule of law.
“The law says every accused person is innocent until proven
otherwise. Then, the President must also look at his party;
he shouldn’t spare his friends.
“If any of our members is found to be corrupt, let them face
the law of the land. But no one should be tagged as being
corrupt when the court has not said so.”
He also asked the President to fund the anti-corruption
agencies adequately, while saying that the agencies should
also conduct what he described as “water-tight
investigations” before rushing to the court.
Repeated calls to the mobile telephone set of the National
Publicity Secretary of the APC, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, were
neither picked nor returned.
Also he had yet to reply a text message sent to him at
8.52pm, asking for his comments on charges that the APC-
led administration was hounding members of the opposition
PDP and associates of Jonathan, as of the time of filing this
report.
Tompolo is not under any investigations by the EFCC, but
Kuku has a date to keep with the anti-graft agency in
September, having gone for a knee surgery in the United
States of America in July, while the former NIMASA boss
has been under investigation for over month.
However, Akpobolokemi’s interaction with the EFCC has
been linked to business deals by him while he held sway at
NIMASA and the ex-warlord.
SUNDAY PUNCH also learnt that EFCC’s seizure of
Akpobolokemi’s international passport and a N38m worth
bullet-proof Toyota Landcruiser was already heightening
speculations that he might be prosecuted if findings by the
investigators indict him.
At least three close aides and confidants of the ex-NIMASA
boss, including the current Executive Director in charge of
Maritime Safety and Shipping Development, Mr. Ezekiel Bala
Agaba, have been guests of the EFCC in the last ten days.
Source : punch newspaper
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