Deeply worried and concerned by a
litany of discoveries of mysterious billions of naira worth of hard currencies
including British Pounds, Euros, US Dollars and Naira Notes in Nigeria, the
leadership of International Society for
Civil Liberties & the Rule of Law (Intersociety) have resolved to raise
a 34-Point critical questions before the Federal Government of Nigeria and its
agents.
We have also been bombarded with
calls and text messages for our informed comments by a section of the print
media in Nigeria concerning the above named issues particularly the 12th
April 2017 “discovery” of naira equivalent of over N13.3billion domiciled in
foreign currencies including US dollars, British pounds and Naira notes at a
high rising building in Ikoyi area of Lagos State, Southwest Nigeria. The
criminally dumped currency notes include $43.4million dollars, 28,800 British
Pounds and N23.2million; totaling over N13.3billion.
Not long ago, on 3rd
February 2017, officials of EFCC claimed that they “discovered” and “recovered”
another mysterious sum of $9.8million domiciled in US dollars ($9.77million)
and British pounds (74,000 British Pounds). The “discovery” and “recovery”,
according to EFCC were made in a house located in Kaduna State belonging to a
former Managing Director of NNPC, Mr. Andrew Yakubu. Critics also alleged that
the said former NNPC Managing Director is presently having some political
differences with the incumbent governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasiru el-Rufai;
possibly over next governorship poll in the State.
The authorities of State Security
Services (SSS) had in their press briefing following the Service’s late night
raids of the sleeping and dwelling houses of some serving judges on 8th
October 2016, claimed that they “discovered” $2million cash in the house of Hon
Justice Adeniyi Adeomola; a serving judge of the Federal High Court. Hon
Justice Ademola, alongside others was spuriously accused of corruption by the
SSS leading to the blue or evil hour of the night invasion of their private
residences. Hon Justice Ademola Adeniyi and his wife-Olubowale (current Head of
Service of Lagos State) were on 6th April 2017 discharged and
acquitted by a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory in Abuja on spurious
allegation of corruption leveled against them.
As if these are not enough, the
EFCC has illicitly embarked on further mysterious cash discovery jamboree by
invading markets and other private business outlets, confiscating cash sums
belonging to some innocent business operators. These include N49million it
claimed to have “discovered” and “recovered” at the Kaduna airport on March 14,
2017; N448million confiscated at a Lagos Bureau de Change plaza on 7th
April 2017 and another N250million confiscated inside a shop located at Balogun
Market in Lagos State.
The legal basis and intents of
these operations as well as their genuineness have remained sketchy, shoddy,
blatant, brazen and condemnable. In crime, guilty act (actus reus) can never secure
competent investigation, prosecution, conviction and sentencing except it is
combined with guilty mind (mens rea).
The main trust of criminal investigation is rested on ascertainment of
guilty mind (mens rea) or otherwise, and where mens rea fails to establish
itself in criminal investigation, actus reus or guilty act which has been found
cannot secure proper prosecution, conviction and sentencing; with the exception
being in cases of strict and statutory
liability offenses such as traffic and sanitary offenses.
Till date and as we write, the
generality of Nigerians do not know the whereabouts of all the monies that the
SSS, EFCC and the Federal Government claimed falsely or otherwise to have
recovered since the mysterious cash “discovery” and “recovery” jamboree was
started by the SSS in October 2016. Whether such mysterious cash sums actually
and genuinely exist or were arranged and periodically planted to frame up regime enemies and falsely shore up the
so called Federal Government’s anti
corruption crusade; have totally remained outside the collective or public
knowledge of the generality of Nigerians till date.
We have severally observed and
still observe that a lot of things are irremediably wrong in Nigeria
particularly under the present dispensation. The sanctity of public governance
in the country particularly under the present dispensation is so tainted that
it looks as if the country is perpetually gripped and cloaked in leadership gangsterism and mafiocracy
We understand the sentiments
shared by most Nigerians including conscientious citizens in the media who
always want our informed and unbiased positions to be aired regarding burning
national issues particularly in matters of this nature. We are deeply pained
and concerned because facts of the issues as they concern our collective
interests including governance, security, moral conducts of our leaders and our
general welfare are constantly desolated, corrupted and bastardized by those
steering the ship of public governance in trust for the generality of Nigerians
particularly under the present dispensation at the Federal level. In other
words, burning national issues such as that under discussion are never
presented to the generality of Nigerians as they truly happened.
We hereby present the following 34-Point Questions before the Federal
Government and its agents concerning the
mysterious cash sums discovery and recovery jamboree in Nigeria:
·
Does it
mean that commercial banks are no longer functioning in Nigeria to warrant
storage of such huge cash in someone’s office or apartment?
·
In common
sense, what will be the intention of keeper(s) of such huge cash in such high
profile place that plays host to the country’s secret services and well known
persons in the corridors of power?
·
Is there
no longer common sense in art of criminality especially such involving
white-collar crime or intellectual crime (i.e. fraud, laundering and
embezzlement)?
·
Is it not
possible that the huge cash was planted as a set up by powers that be targeting
certain opponents or regime enemies?
·
Is it not
correct to say that the “discovered” cash was planted to frame up someone or
some hated persons but got misfired?
·
Which bank
will lend withdrawal approval of such cash?
·
Are there
no longer limitations to amount of cash to be withdrawn per day and per
person/institution in Nigeria?
·
Where are
Buhari Administration’s monetary policies on hard currencies and cash carriage
or do we now have two-side monetary policies in Nigeria: one for the rich and
the other for the poor?
·
Which
individual or institution or company will sanely withdraw such cash and with
what intents?
·
Has
Nigeria abandoned cash and electronic banking and resorted to trade by
batter?
·
Are
payments for contract projects or private sector and public remunerations now
paid cash at hand in present day Nigeria?
·
Is Nigeria holding general elections or a
State gubernatorial election requiring cash bribery and cash logistics of such
huge amount under discussion?
·
Which bank in Nigeria has the authority of warehousing
such huge hard currencies?
·
Does CBN
have anything illicit to do with this and has it been engaging in such criminal
practices under this dispensation?
·
Has
Nigeria entered the inglorious era of late Idi Amin and his infamous Central
Bank in Uganda?
·
If not
CBN, what about the cabal that controls the sales of forex in Nigeria?
·
Does it
have any link with Nigeria’s presidency?
·
Is there possibility that the forex cabal can
be used deviously and dubiously for the purpose of lending such cash to set up
hated citizens or regime enemies and get such cash back after the possible
completion of evil deeds?
·
Why are
the so called “discovered” and “recovered” huge cash sums always in mint/neat
and unused forms?
·
Where are
all the “discovered” and “recovered” cash sums including the $2million “Judges’
loot”, $9.8million “ex NNPC’s MD loot” and the latest N13.3billion “Ikoyi
mysterious billions”, etc?
·
Have these
huge cash sums been deposited to the Federation Account manned by the CBN or
the Consolidated Revenue Account of the Federal Government?
·
Are the
huge cash sums in the custody of EFCC or SSS presently?
·
Does the
law allow them to keep money for the Federation of Nigeria?
·
Is it not correct to say that the huge cash
sums are lent from their dubious private owners or custodians (i.e. CBN or
cabalistic forex dealers) for the referenced dirty jobs and returned to them
being used in setting up regime enemies including some judges and other
opponents of the present central government in Nigeria?
·
Is there
really anti corruption crusade going on in Nigeria under this dispensation?
·
Is it correct to say that decampment to APC is
the beginning of issuance of clean slates to decampees in matters of graft or
corruption?
·
Has it not
become a pattern that whenever there is a national controversy surrounding the
so called anti corruption crusade, such as the present ordeal of COMPOL Ibrahim
Magu; strange huge sums of cash will be discovered with their “discoveries”
credited to doubtfully existing “whistleblowers”?
·
Is it not correct to say that there is a
raging fraud in the activities of some CSOs which have now become the
government mouthpiece on “anti corruption”?
·
Is it also not correct to say that these
government mouth-pieced CSOs are complicit in the present central government’s
hyper corruption of the anti corruption crusade in Nigeria?
·
Is there not something strange about the
exclusive reports of the two Southwest owned online news media in the country
bordering on the government’s so called “anti corruption crusade”?
·
Is it also not correct to say the strangeness
of their exclusive reports particularly on periodic “discovery” of huge cash
sums by agents of the present government such as EFCC and SSS is a clear
indication that they are far from being independent and are controlled by the
said government?
·
Is it not
correct to say that the events that are periodically reported as exclusive by
them are brazenly arranged or stage-managed?
·
Is it not
correct to say that these two online news media are “the whistleblowers” the
present government noisily talked about, used and funded by in its so called
“anti corruption crusade”?
·
Is it not
correct to say that such exclusive reports are well known to the two online
news media as stage-managed and false?
Signed:
·
Emeka
Umeagbalasi, Board Chairman
Mobile Line: +2348174090052
·
Obianuju
Joy Igboeli, Esq.
Head, Civil Liberties & Rule
of Law Program
·
Chinwe
Umeche, Esq.
Head, Democracy & Good
Governance Program
·
Florence
C. Akubilo, Esq.
Head, Campaign & Publicity Department
Contact:
International Society for Civil Liberties & Rule of Law
Phone Lines: +2348182411462,
+2349063500218
Email: info@intersociety-ng.org
Website:
www.intersociety-ng.org
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