The former governor of Akwa Ibom state and Senate
minority leader, Senator Godswill Akpabio, has returned to the Economic And
Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for more questioning after Friday’s alleged
arrest and eventual release.
According
to Channels Television, a source
close to the EFCC says that Senator Akpabio returned to the EFCC at about 10am
on Saturday, October 17.
The
former governor was accompanied by his counsel and Senior Advocate of Nigeria,
Rikey Tarfa and some aides.
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Times reports that as soon as the former governor arrived at the commission, he
was moved into the interrogation room, a source said.
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It
was reported that the counsel and aides to the former governor watched
helplessly as the anti-graft operatives led him away.
Sources
disclosed that there indications that the senator might be spending the day
with the anti-graft commission.
The Senate minority leader was said to have been arrested on Friday, October 16,
by the EFCC over an alleged theft of N108.1 billion of Akwa Ibom funds
when the senator was governor.
But Senator Akpabio had denied reports stressing that
he was not arrested by the anti-crime commission.
The
former governor had admitted that he was summoned by the anti-graft body
to respond to several allegations of corruption against him stressing that he
was not arrested but only honoured the commission’s invitation on his own free
will.
There
had been a petition forwarded to the ant-graft commission and President
Muhammadu Buhari in June by an Abuja-based lawyer and activist, Leo Ekpenyong,
on the fraudulent issues leading to withdrawals of billions of naira and
aquisitions of various properties both in Abuja and Lagos.
As
a result of the petition, the crimes commission had investigated the matter.
The
lawyer had disclosed that between January and December 2014, the ex-governor
colluded with the former government house permanent secretary, Etekamba Umoren,
and the former accountant general of the state to steal a whopping N108.1
billion from the state’s treasury.
He
said in the petition: “Between January – December 2014,
it is on record that the trio of Godswill Akpabio, Mr Etekamba Umoren and Mr
Udo Isobara, made illegal but substantial withdrawals of cash from a designated
state government-owned account with Zenith Bank with account number: 1010375881
amounting to N22.1 billion.
“It
is worthy of note that reasons for such ungodly cash withdrawals against
financial regulations and due process laws range between sundry use and
unjustifiable expenditures by Godswill Akpabio and his numerous surrogates and
proxies.
“For
example, a whopping N18 billion was withdrawn fraudulently from the state FAAC
account with the United Bank for Africa in trenches of N10 million and above by
Mr Isobara in a surreptitious manner to conceal their dishonest intention.”
Confirming
the petition by Ekpenyong, Akpabio said: “A young lawyer from my state has been petitioning
the EFCC accusing me of corruption,” the former governor said. “So shortly
before I got involved in an accident in August, the EFCC summoned me to come
and respond to the allegations.
“But
following the accident, I wasn’t well enough to honour the EFCC summon. And I
let them know. “So
today, since I’m now well, and the Senate did not sit, I decided to honour the
EFCC so as to answer questions concerning the allegations against me.
The
ex-governor said that he wasn’t arrested and that he walked in there all
by himself noting that he was back at home.
He
said that the EFCC operatives were professional adding that they asked
questions which he in turn answered.
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