Detectives have hit a stalemate in their bid to recover the N400 million traced to a company in which Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) spokesman Olisa Metuh has a stake.
He is said to have told the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) that he would rather go on hunger strike than refund the money, which is believed to be part of the $2.1 billion arms cash allegedly diverted at the Office National Security Adviser (ONSA).
EFCC chair Ibrahim Magu, who revealed Metuh’s position yesterday in Lagos, stressed that the war against corruption had just begun.
Speaking during a meeting with online reporters, Magu vowed to bring corrupt elements to justice, explaining that the looting of the nation’s treasury “is mind boggling”.
He said former Military Administrator of Kaduna State Brig.-Gen.Jafaru Isa had refunded N100 million of the N160million he collected from the ONSA.
The ex-governorship candidate of the Congress of Progressvies Change (CPC), who was arrested and released after being quizzed, he added, had undertaken to refund the balance.
He said former President Goodluck Jonathan would not be invited over the $2.1billion arsm deals because memos and documents on the disbursement of the money were not approved for political campaigns.
Magu explained that former Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) Patrick Akpobolokemi was re-arrested by EFCC operatives outside the Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos, after it was found that he was involved in an alleged embezzlement of N34.5 billion and N600 million in the maritime agency.
He was said to have jumped bail and the lawyer who stood surety for him was arrested.
Speaking on why EFCC cases get stuck, Magu blamed lawyers, saying: “When a politician steals N10 billion, he keeps N5 billion for litigation. He hires Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs). Judges accuse us of not conducting thorough investigation in order to compromise.”
Nation
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